Sent to pick up the narrator and deliver him to Judge Henry’s ranch, the Virginian—a tall, black-haired, taciturn young cowboy with an animal litheness—at first intimidates the narrator, who notes that, “in the whole man, there dominated a something potent to be felt, I should think, by man or woman” (9). The Virginian faces three great challenges: He needs to vanquish a bad man, Trampas; he must capture and execute cattle rustlers; and he yearns for the love of a woman whose heart is as wild as the territory. 

Smart and thoughtful, the Virginian wins the confidence of Judge Henry and becomes ranch foreman. Elsewhere, he pays suit to the local schoolteacher, Molly Wood, who is powerfully drawn to him but resists his courtship because he’s a mere cowboy. His sincerity toward her, efforts to improve his education, and abiding love for her finally tear down the walls around her heart, and they become engaged. This subplot, combined with the Virginian’s feud with Trampas, set the Virginian up as the ultimate Western protagonist. He is honorable and seeks to right moral wrongs, while also having a wild, untamed sensibility.

The Virginian’s sense of duty, integrity, and self-reliance, combined with his tall, lean looks, laconic friendliness, and animal prowess, make him the first widely popular cowboy icon and the template for Western heroes to follow.