- Two drifters, Robert and William, stumble across a desert mirage while evading their nemesis, Ned. The two men soon realize that the mirage shows each viewer the city where they'd like to be, and start selling views.
- Two drifters, Robert and Willie, are trying to avoid a third drifter, Ned Bantlin, who follows them from harvest to harvest riding on their occasional good fortune. They duck off the road and avoid him, and then notice a mirage nearby. Each of them sees a magnificent city which Robert believes is New York. They notice that other cars have stopped there and decide to stake out the land and charge money to view the mirage.
The people began to gather, and the two drifters realize that each person sees the city that is nearest and dearest to their heart. One teenager sees it as Coleridge's Xanadu, and calls the mirage "a miracle of rare device." The money starts to pour in and Willie is happy, while Robert begins to question the morality of charging money for such a miracle.
Ned watches from a distance and secretly files a homestead claim on the land. He then shows up and demands all the money Robert and Willie have made since he filed the claim. They reluctantly turn over the money and wonder what Ned sees, but he insists that there's nothing there in the desert.
Robert and Willie watch from a distance as the crowd tapers off. They realize that due to Ned's disbelief, the mirage has disappeared. Ned finally leaves in disgust. Robert and Willie go back to their spot in the desert and realize the mirage has disappeared. However, a desperate farmer and his family show up and Robert invites them to view the mirage, free of charge. At first they see nothing, but the mirage soon reappears, bolstered by their faith, and Robert and Willie see it too.
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