Mystery Ranch plot
Tom Morris, a well-known author of Western novels, receives an invitation to visit the Mystery Ranch. There he can get acquainted with real Western situations. Tom's secretary Percy Jenkins also arrives at the Mystery Ranch and both soon become involved in many staged events such as a lynching, runaway horses, a fake feud and a successful chase of horse thieves. Tom won't be fooled, however, and ranch owner Mrs. Henderson, her daughter Mary and her ranchers become hopeless with him. But then two real villains (Blake and Kern) show up and Tom discovers that they have a bag of stolen gold with them. Tom thinks, however, that they too belong to the demonstrations of the Mystery Ranch.