Justinian's life is saved and his heart is lost to Theodora. Ursus, the gladiator, vows to devote his life to Theodora's service. The reign of Emperor Justin is a tumultuous one as he proclaims his nephew, Justinian, heir to the throne.

A sheriff and his posse shoot it out with a gang of robbers headed by Bad Jake Kennedy. The surviving robber, Buckshot John, won't tell where the gang's loot is hidden and gets 30 years in prison. Halfway through his sentence he "gets religion" and in order to save his soul, decides to tell where the gang has hidden its stash of gold. However, a phony clairvoyant, The Great Gilmore, finds out about John's intentions and tricks him into revealing where the gold is. When John finds out what happened, he decides to break out of prison and take care of matters himself.

Four wealthy young men, Larry Van Cortlandt, Castleton, "Fatty" Harriman and Payne, become intoxicated in a cabaret where munitions maker Stanhope Shelton is giving a party for his daughter Natalie. Larry is attracted to Natalie, but he is ejected with his friends before he can secure an introduction. Plainclothes detective Hogan vows to capture Larry, who seeks asylum on his yacht with his friends. After the crew quits, Larry and his friends handle the boat. The next morning Castleton and Payne place a "for hire" sign on the boat and the Sheltons engage it. Larry teaches Natalie to steer and runs into several boats in the process. Four people in the Shelton party turn out to be burglars and rob the other guests. Meanwhile two other crooks rob the Shelton mansion. Larry manages to capture all the crooks at the Shelton home, and he wins over both Natalie and her father.

Arthur Baxter comes to spend the week end with John Masterson, a wealthy merchant. With him are his nephew, Jack Warrington, and his niece. Margaret Warrington. Arthur is in love with Margaret; she repels his advances, but he persists. Her uncle, however, rather favors the match, as he thinks Baxter is wealthy.

A small-town politician is elected to congress. As he fights for his constituents' rights, his plain-Jane wife sits quietly at home. Only when Billy Bladerson seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the charms of adventuress Myrtle Marshall (actually in the employ of his political rivals) does Adele take a crash course in social graces-and cosmetics.

An express rider is wrongly suspected of theft. When he is sentenced to imprisonment, friends help him to escape. In the pursuit that emerges, he manages to unmask the real thief.

John Wilson goes to the mountain-town bank to draw out the pay-roll. Sam Marvin and Ed Hanley "pike" this proceeding and ride on ahead, up the road, to await the coming of the superintendent in his auto. Jim Carter, the son of Sheriff Carter, also his deputy, observes their actions, and finds their pictures in prison records.

Dakota Wilson escapes from the Deer Lodge Penitentiary, and, after a period of quietness, secures a position on the Diamond S ranch, owned by Buffalo Watson. Ruth, the daughter of the ranch owner, one day sees Dakota's display of horsemanship, and the admiration thus aroused soon ripens into love, much against the protest of the family. Ruth's love for Dakota is increased by his heroic deed when he rescues her from the malignant attentions of a rushing steer whose anger is aroused by the flowing red handkerchief about her neck. Dakota, who is riding ahead of the cowboys on a round-up expedition, catches sight of the steer heading for Ruth, and, spurring his broncho into a break-neck speed, reaches the side of the steer, leaps upon its hack, and, fastening his muscular arms on the frenzied beast's horns, brings him to the ground. In the midst of the ovation given him by the cowboys, Dakota is nabbed by Sheriff Mathers, who begins to march him back to the Deer Lodge Penitentiary.