Tim has been having a bad time of it. His father is disappointed in him, for the boy has been idling away his time with the "gang" in the railroad yards. One night Tim comes in late, crawls through his father's room and curls up in a corner of his own and falls asleep. He is awakened before dawn by his mother. His father is sick. Tim is sullen, and goes in and confronts the "old man." Tim's father will never be able to work again. Tim gets a job. He doesn't like it the first day, for he is well knocked about. He goes to work again the next day, and now he begins to like it. He comes home, but the kitchen is empty, so he calls upstairs for his mother, ordering her to hurry down and fix his supper for him. He pulls out his father's pipe and lights it. His mother comes slowly down the stairs with a candle. He looks up and starts to order, but she tells him his father is dead. He says he doesn't care; she leans over and tells him again. The pipe drops from his mouth; he starts up the stairs, pushes her aside and goes into his father's room. This changes his whole life. He becomes the man of the house; his father had his turn, now it's Tim's turn. He becomes a steady worker, supports his mother and becomes a man, indeed.