Mr. Reckless

Oil worker Jeff Lundy returns to California in time to attend a farewell party for his Greek friend Gus, who is closing his restaurant. Gus, a robust older man, is thrilled to see his longtime friend and surprises him with the announcement of his impending marriage to waitress Betty Denton. Gus also plans to move to the site of a new oil field in the desert, where he will open a café. Jeff, who fell in love with Betty two years earlier but was unwilling to settle down, accuses her of marrying Gus for a "meal ticket," but she angrily denies this. Not long after, Gus, Betty and her father Hugo move to the desert, where Jeff is working with his friend, foreman Pete. Gus opens a café, and, as he and Betty have not yet married, they live in Ma Hawkins' boardinghouse. Gus is puzzled when Jeff avoids him, but one night Gus, Jeff and Pete go to a pool hall, and Gus attacks a man who speaks irreverently about Betty. After pulling the men apart, Pete warns Gus that his anger may hurt him one day. Hugo goes to work at the oil fields, but cannot curb his appetite for liquor and gambling, and soon becomes indebted to oil worker Jim Halsey. Hugo is unable to pay his debt on the eve of Gus and Betty's wedding, so Halsey locks him in an empty oil well. When Hugo does not show up for the wedding, Ma's husband Joel goes to the pool hall to look for Hugo, and overhears Halsey talking about what he has done to Hugo. Gus leaves his wedding and forces Halsey to go to the oil field, but while stopped on a road, the two men struggle, and Gus falls off a bridge. Jeff comes along shortly after and, while Gus is being rescued, forces Halsey to free Hugo just before he drowns in oil that is flowing into the tank. Hugo is unharmed, and Gus insists on putting off the wedding until his broken hip has mended. One day while Gus is convalescing, Jeff and Betty admit their love for each other, but agree that Betty is obligated to marry Gus. Jeff promises to leave so that he will not be a hindrance, but before he can go, a vengeful Halsey, who was fired, returns to the work site and sabotages Jeff's work, causing a huge pipe to fall and crush Jeff's legs. Jeff and Gus both convalesce at Ma's boardinghouse and start a friendly competition over who will be the first to walk again, eventually recovering at the same time. Although Betty tells Jeff that she does not want to go through with her wedding, Jeff insists that he is leaving. Betty confesses her secret love to Gus, who flies into a rage and goes to the oil field to kill Jeff. Instead, Gus is killed when he falls from a high oil rig as he fights with Jeff. Some time later, Jeff tells Betty that he is leaving for a new job in Paraguay, and asks her to go with him as his wife.