Stanley is fired from his job with a reputable engineering firm in New York City under false pretense. His wife leaves him. He flees to Wyoming and nearly freezes to death. He finds shelter in a cellar where he uses his ingenuity to survive. He discovers letters and journals in the cellar and learns about true love and devotion. When he is found, he is arrested, jailed, and fined for unlawful entry and theft of the food he used for survival. The homeowner offers to have him work on her farm to pay off his fine. He rebuilds his life in a new environment, falls in love, and fills his soul with deep satisfaction from hard work. He is mistakenly declared dead. His wife, Letha, believing she was a widow, remarries, complicating things when he is discovered to be alive. He is compelled to return to New York. Torn between two worlds on opposite sides of the country, he must decide between his life in New York and the western life of Wyoming.