Hurdy Gurdy Girl

At the start of the Civil War, on a journey down the Mississippi to find her missing older sister, naive Merribeth Winston meets gambler Brent O'Neal. Though convinced cards are the devil's playthings, she's fascinated by Brent. He saves her from a series of dashing scoundrels, finding himself her unwilling protector all the way to San Francisco, even though he'd rather be bedding her. When Merribeth traces her sister to the rough and tough mining town of Virginia City, Nevada, she meets fellow Missourian Mark Twain. After Twain realizes her life is in danger, he telegraphs Brent to come to her aid. When Brent arrives, the fireworks really begin. Once all the shots are fired and the dust settles, the lost sister is found, happiness is restored and confirmed bachelor Brent finds himself proposing to the woman he loves-Merribeth.