Summary
In the arid, unforgiving expanse of the American Southwest, Van Dyke Tarleton, a painter of pathological intensity, finds himself ensnared in a creative purgatory. His obsession centers upon the completion of 'Lucifer, Son of the Morning,' a canvas demanding a visage of such profound, sardonic malevolence that no ordinary mortal can satisfy his gaze. When failing health drives Tarleton and his ethereal wife, Naomi, to the border town of Tophet, they encounter Bowie Blake—a man whose flinty exterior and lawless reputation embody the very diabolism Tarleton seeks to immortalize. Blake initially rebuffs the artist’s entreaties, yet he is soon ensnared by a burgeoning fascination with Naomi’s gentle grace. Recognizing this vulnerability, Tarleton orchestrates a psychological gambit, utilizing his wife as bait to lure the outlaw into his studio. What follows is a harrowing descent into emotional cruelty; Tarleton systematically berates and humiliates Naomi in Blake’s presence, calculating that the outlaw’s simmering rage and protective instinct will sharpen the 'Luciferian' edge required for the masterpiece. The narrative takes a jagged turn when the party retreats to the isolation of the mountains, culminating in a violent eruption where outlaws 'Red' Gleason and Jose Ramirez shatter the domestic tension with murder. Left to navigate the ruins of her sanity after the trauma, Naomi finds an unexpected protector in Blake, whose journey from the artist's model of evil to a guardian of fractured innocence redefines the boundaries of redemption in the silent era.
Synopsis
Van Dyke Tarleton is an artist. He is absorbed body and soul in his latest creation, "Lucifer, Son of the Morning," but lacks a model to depict the brooding evil, the smoldering, sardonic sin that he has visualized in the spirit's face. Naomi Tarleton, his wife, is a beautiful and gentle creature. Tarleton has an attack which necessitates a sojourn in the desert, and he, with his wife, arrive in Tophet, an Arizona border town, where "Bowie Blake," bad man, witnesses their arrival. Tarleton recognizes in Blake a Lucifer in the flesh, and insists that "Bowie" become his model. His demand is refused. Later Blake becomes enthralled when he sees Naomi. Tarleton witnesses the meeting from a window and determines that his wife shall accomplish what he has failed to do. He sends her to the gambler, telling her to beg Blake to come. She does this, and Blake becomes the model. Tarleton insults his wife continually in Blake's presence to prevent the brooding evil, sardonic hardness, and the grim deadliness in the eyes and face of his model from disappearing. One day Tarleton faints at the canvas and the doctor advises that he be taken to the mountains. The three find an ideal camp, and the painting goes on, Tarleton insulting his wife more and more, until Blake decides to leave them, as he can stand it no more. He hesitates on the road, not willing to leave Naomi alone with Tarleton, and eventually returns to find that "Red" Gleason and Jose Ramirez, two outlaws, have killed the painter and are drawing cards to see who shall possess the woman. He kills them both, and takes Naomi to a cave farther in the mountains. Through an injury, Naomi loses her mind. Blake treats her as a child, until her mind becomes clear. He then tells her that he intends to have her as his own. Naomi exerts her influence, and he fights his battle, and wins over himself, upon which he agrees to take her back to town. They stand where the trail leads to the desert town. She holds her hand out to him: "What can I say?" she cries plaintively; "What is there for you and me to say to each other?" Bowie remarks: "I'm sayin' just this: some day I'm comin' after you." She looks at him and answers softly: "Yes, I think you will do that, but I make no promise, there are things to be done, that time and striving will do. It is in your hands, Bowie." "That's all I ask," he answers. "I'm takin' that chance."
