Joe, who paints doll faces at the Dilly Dolly doll factory, is down in the mouth. He can't make ends meet. An unexpected wage raise brightens his spirits. Now he can buy his young daughter a birthday present. He decides upon, not surprisingly, a doll. At the toy shop, he flies into a rage. The doll costs two dollars. He knows there is only ten cents worth of material in the thing. The store manager tries to explain that because Joe's company increased the cost of its latest shipment, his store had to increase the price of the doll. Joe will have none of it. It's up to the narrator to talk some sense into Joe and give him an economics lesson. Soon Joe understands such things as labor costs and profits. Suddenly he hits upon an idea that improves productivity at his company, drives down costs, and thus improves the economy. Now, a Dilly Dolly doll is only one dollar; and Joe's wage raise really means something.