When Robert Stewart travels to his sick wife, he leaves his two children, John and Mary, with strict instructions not to let anyone into the house. After he leaves, a Native American named Joe comes to the house demanding to be let in and given food. John and Mary refuse, and Joe tries to shoot them through the door. He misses, but promises to come back later, burn their house down, kill them, and scalp them. However, a nearby mountain lion comes and attacks Joe, nearly killing him. One of the Stewarts’ neighbors, Mr. Tracy, then comes to visit the Stewarts and realizes that Joe is still alive. He and the children treat Joe’s wounds, and Joe vows to be a better person after having been shown kindness by the people he had come to kill.