Charlie Russell is an aimless cowhand who loves the freedom of the cowboy way of life, and he is a self-taught artist who enjoys capturing the scenes of his rugged work on the range. Too embarrassed to ask people to pay for his paintings, he gives most of them away to friends or trades them for drinks at the saloon. But that changes quickly after he falls in love. Charlie's new bride Nancy gives him the encouragement he needs to stop cowboying in order to focus on his artwork.