The narrator, a man from “back East” on his way to a cattle ranch, stops in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and witnesses the enigmatic title character—the Virginian—rope a wild pony after many other cowboys failed. The Virginian is revealed to be the narrator’s escort to his destination, where the Virginian is employed. After getting a taste of the Western way of life in town, the two set off on the remaining 263-mile journey to the ranch, sparking a friendship. The narrator, now nicknamed Tenderfoot, goes on to recount the work, romances, and adventures of the Virginian against the backdrop of the Wyoming Territory and the greater American West.

The Virginian is a foundational novel of the Western genre. Published in 1902, it spawned numerous adaptations in theater, film, and television, while setting the stage for later popular Western writers like Zane Grey .