Handsome silent screen matinee idol Francis X. Bushman once again donned a dashing uniform in this romantic melodrama set during the Boer War. In his first role since leaving Chicago's Essanay company, Bushman played Lt. Col. Anstruther, who vies for the attention of Muriel Mannering (Marguerite Snow) with Major Bingham (William Clifford). The latter tricks Anstruther into believing that the girl loves Bingham, when in reality she has refused the major's proposal of marriage. When Anstruther saves Bingham's life during the war, the deceitful major finally tells the truth. Despite Eve Unsell's trite screenplay, The Second in Command was well received by critics and audiences alike and proved an auspicious debut for the newly formed Quality Pictures Corporation, a company founded by former cameraman Fred J. Balshofer.