Plot summary

Boyd Emerson has spent two unsuccessful years in Alaska trying to make his fortune in the gold trade, mostly in an effort to impress his socialite girlfriend Mildred Wayland's father, Wayne Wayland, although Mildred does not care if Boyd is wealthy or not in wanting to marry him regardless. Boyd has literally and figuratively hit the end of the Alaska trail when he meets Cherry Malotte, who convinces him to join her and her associate George Balt in another business, silver, more specifically the burgeoning salmon fishery and cannery. Cherry is up front to him that it is a dangerous business in that Fred Marsh has set up a syndicate to control the salmon fishery in Alaska, he going to the extreme of killing to achieve his goal. As Boyd uses Cherry's connections to try and secure financing to build a cannery while Balt's men operate the fishing side of the business, several issues complicate matters. First, Marsh is Wayne Wayland's preference as a husband for Mildred. Second, Cherry herself has fallen in love with Boyd, something she doesn't want to let him know. And third, Cherry has not informed Boyd why she is so well off and has all her business connections, which was through her former work as a prostitute.—Huggo