The earliest surviving film featuring Lon Chaney in a major role, By the Sun's Ray's was but one of several 2-reel westerns starring the florid Murdock MacQuarrie. MacQuarrie plays a detective investigating a series of gold shipment robberies. Along the way, he falls for a mine superintendent's pretty daughter (Agnes Vernon), much to the dismay of a sullen mine office clerk (Chaney), who is also smitten with the girl...

The original play's French locale was changed to New England, where Celia Laird resides with her two overprotective aunts. When artist Frazer Ordway arrives in town, he falls in love with Celia -- much to the dismay of the aunts, who'd intended the girl to marry a local millionaire.