***
The narrator, a man from "back East" on his way to a cattle ranch, stops in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and witnesses the enigmatic title character - the Virginian - rope a wild pony after many other cowboys failed. The Virginian is revealed to be the narrator's escort to his destination, where the Virginian is employed. After getting a taste of the Western way of life in town, the two set off on the remaining 263-mile journey to the ranch, sparking a friendship. The narrator, now nicknamed Tenderfoot, goes on to recount the work, romances, and adventures of the Virginian against the backdrop of the Wyoming Territory and the greater American West.