At a remote Canadian trading post, Pierre Baptiste, a simple French Canadian, loves Marcette, the storekeeper's daughter. In midwinter, Stannard, a stranger from England, arrives in search of a gold claim and infatuates Marcette. Urged on by Nefferton, a supposed friend who plots to steal his claim, Stannard sets out on the eve of a storm; and Marcette, fearing for his safety, sends Pierre after him.