Plot

Upon observing the adoration that track star Culver Covington receives, his friend, J. Wallingford Speed, decides to impress Helen Blake by also posing as a sprinter. Meanwhile, when Roberta Keap decides to retire to her Western ranch while awaiting her divorce, Speed, Helen and various friends accompany her while her husband Donald takes up residence at the neighboring Gallagher ranch. A rivalry springs up between the two ranches, and Helen persuades Speed to challenge the Keap homestead in a footrace. Matters become serious when Roberta and Mrs. Gallagher bet their entire holdings on the race. It begins to look ominous for the Keaps when their star sprinter develops a lame foot, thus placing the burden of winning on Speed. Miraculously, the intense competition of the race spurs Speed to win both his match and Helen's love, while also accomplishing the reconciliation of Donald and Roberta.—AFI

Right after the war, an inter-collegiate track meet takes place at Yale University. Culver Covington, the track star, is so successful with pretty girls that his buddy, J. Wallingford Speed, decides to pretend he is also a track star. Jean Chapin, Helen Blake, and Mrs. Roberta Keap are all enthusiastic patrons of the event. Jean's fiancé, who happens to be Roberta's brother, is Covington. Roberta's husband, Captain Donald Keap, has just returned from overseas, and is not anxious to see his wife, with whom he had an argument before departing for the service.

To impress Helen, Speed tells her he is really the star runner on the track team, when in fact, he is a cheerleader. Helen is also being courted by Berkeley Fresno, a tenor. Helen buys Speed's story and falls for him. Later, Roberta decides to live on her ranch out west, and contemplates getting a divorce from her husband. The workers are angry that the cook at the rival Gallagher ranch has beaten their top runner and caused them all to go broke. A competition ensues with the Gallagher ranch. Roberta enters Speed in the race against Skinner, who represents the Gallagher ranch. Speed goes through rigorous training with a trainer named Larry Glass. Speed keeps up the pretense, and plans to feign illness, assuming the star runner of the Keap ranch will eventually enter the race. But when the runner meets with an accident and shows up on crutches, Speed is forced to train in earnest.

Miz Gallagher, a gambler, wagers her entire ranch against the Keap ranch, and Roberta places the same bet against the Gallagher ranch. Then oil is discovered on the Keap ranch just before the race. In the end, both women ranchers realize that reuniting Roberta and her husband is most important. The sporting event is then transformed into a love fest.