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Based on a popular stage play, the Biograph three-reeler Strongheart was originally released in May of 1913. The film was reviewed by the trade magazine Variety on the occasion of its April 1914 reissue, staged to cash in on the popularity of leading man Henry B. Walthall. After itemizing the differences between Walthall's interpretation of the leading character and the performance offered on stage by Robert Edeson, the trade magazine Variety concluded that both men delivered strong and distinctive characterizations. The son of an Indian chief, Strongheart heads out into the "white" world, where he excels in college. He becomes a football hero (a la Jim Thorpe) and wins the heart of the prettiest girl on campus. But upon finding out that his father is dead, Strongheart forsakes his new lifestyle, returning to assume leadership of his tribe. Along the way, the film includes an obligatory "collegiate" subplot, wherein Strongheart nobly rescues his best friend from being expelled for cheating on the football field.