Mail Order Bride Ellen Mortimer receives a shock when she meets her groom, Elliot Wilkins, at the railway station. Elliot wants to take Ellen to the church immediately before driving her to his homestead to start their life together. Ellen braces herself and they complete the ceremony. Outside the church, Ellen gets another shock when she sees an enormous wolf in the wagon box standing astride her trunk. She screams in horror, but Elliot only laughs at her. The wolf is his dog, Laird.
Half wolf, half St. Bernard, Laird soon becomes a bone of contention between Ellen and her new husband. Elliot tells her of the numerous times Laird saved his life from wild animals. But when Elliot tries to get close to Ellen on their wedding night, Laird’s presence distracts Ellen until she spurns Elliot’s advances. When she insists he put the dog out of the house for the night, Elliot loses his temper and turns away from her.
Ellen’s conflict with the strange dog comes to a head when Elliot leaves her alone with Laird to go hunting for a few days. Ellen must find a comfortable place for herself in her new home while coming to grips with Laird’s presence. After the first day of Elliot’s absence, she thinks she’s come to an amiable understanding with the dog. But Laird has other ideas, and his sinister behavior challenges all Ellen’s faculties to clear the way for her new life.