When he learns the secret news that it will be sold today at 4pm in Kansas City, international banker J.P. Anderson sets in motion a plan to purchase the Tippycanoe Tuckahoe & Tehachapi Railroad. He will arrive in Kansas City prior to the meeting with an offer the current owner can't refuse. He will go with his hapless secretary, Charley Chase, with the two switching places - Charley will pretend to be J.P., and J.P. will pretend to be Charley - so that J.P. can maneuver into the deal without attracting the attention of the other buyer who may want to kill him. They will take the TT&T train for the trip. Complications ensue when a series of events happen on the train. First, Charley passes himself off as the railroad owner to train employees even before they arrive at the meeting. Second, J.P.'s daughter Dorothy arrives on the scene, Charley who has to pretend to be her father when in reality he is in love with her. Third, Charley's banker's hat, which is really a magician's hat, displays its full magical capabilities. Fourth, they learn about their estimated time of arrival into Kansas City. And fifth, telegrams to J.P. and Charley respectively get crossed between the two.