Josie Minick is a widow, who is forced to fend for herself. Josie living in a cattle country, finds herself in odds and war with the cattlemen of the town, when she decides to make a sheep farm her livelihood.

Josie Minick is acquitted for accidentally killing her drunken husband; nevertheless, her 8-year-old son, Luther, is taken to Cheyenne to be cared for by her wealthy father-in-law, Alpheus Minick. Despite the offer of her rancher neighbor Arch Ogden to buy her rundown ranch, Josie decides to renovate the place with her husband's insurance money, but she soon becomes discouraged by her failure to resurrect the place. She tries a job as a waitress but is equally unhappy. Finally she buys a flock of sheep and hires two farmhands to care for them; but local cattlemen revive their long-standing war with the sheepherders as Arch and the other ranchers prepare for a battle against the beleaguered widow. News of the range war reaches Washington, D. C., where the town's district attorney, Charlie Lord, is wrapping up negotiations for Wyoming becoming a state. He hurriedly returns to the town and finds Annabelle Pettijohn, crusader for women's rights, conducting a streetfight against the male ranchers. Furious beyond reason at Josie's part in the squabble, Arch rides out to her ranch and puts a torch to her barn. Jason Meredith, Josie's rugged supporter, eventually stops Arch. Next morning, Charlie negotiates a truce between Arch and Josie whereby the rancher will buy Josie's sheep and sell cattle to her at bargain prices. Delighted, Josie allows Jason to accept the proposition on her behalf--because he will be sharing her life with little Luther from now on.