Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.

When a musical star discovers her leading man is married, she quits the show and takes its financial backer with her.

Gran Higgins falls under the spell of a love-starved widow.

A best-selling author of women's issues and a medical academic find it is to their mutual advantage to falsely claim that they are married.