At the Gale Steel and Iron Works in Galesburg, Tim Sawyer, known as "Shoulders," is the tough production manager frustrated by the company's refusal to spend money for repairs. The plant is part of the estate of the late David Gale, and much to everyone's surprise the heir is his daughter, debutante Linda Gale. Marie Wall, Linda's aunt, serves as Linda's proctor. During Linda's tour of the plant, some gears break, nearly killing Dutch Fulmer, a foreman who is wrongfully blamed for the accident. Mr. Spencer Allen, the office manager who wants the plant to go bankrupt, convinces Linda to give the overworked men a holiday. However, they resent the loss of pay, and know it is repairs that are truly needed. Tim only continues to work at Gale in order to teach Linda the business he has worked at since he was thirteen. After rescuing a man from being boiled by a broken furnace, Tim quits, leaving behind Blister, a lad he was trying to educate. Allen orders George Billings to substitute high-carbon, poor quality steel on the Harmon order, the last major company still using the Gale Works. As a result, Harmon's skyscraper frame collapses, and Linda and her company are sued for $1,000,000. Allen tries to blame the incident on Tim, but Harmon's representative refuses to believe it was Tim's fault. Linda asks Tim for his help, and he discovers that the steel made for Harmon, substituted by Billings, is still at the plant. Tim has Linda summon Allen and Billings, and together with the help of Dutch and Blister beats a confession out of them. Despite the fact that he does not want to work for a woman, Linda asks Tim to stay on as general manager of the plant.