A man, his wife (Claire McDowell), her sister (Mary Pickford) and a young woman (Dorothy Bernard) leave a deserted mining town to cross the dessert to safety. The wife suspects the young woman of having an affair with her husband and when he suddenly dies she blames the young woman, and tension between the women grows. This is a well constructed film of female jealousy, that is well acted by the three female lead characters. It is also notable for the greater use of close-ups of faces than was ususal for D W Griffith at this period.