After a serious quarrel with his father concerning his debts, Wallace Dixon leaves the house in anger, declaring that he will live his life as beat pleases him. That night, Alfred Dixon, the father, hears a noise by the safe in his bedroom, where he is sleeping, and shoots at the intruder who escapes unharmed. Dixon rushes downstairs and almost falls over his son, who has tripped while passing through the portieres of the hall. Wallace indignantly denies the attempted robbery, but his father will not believe him. The young man leaves the house, vowing that he will never enter it again. Late one night, Wallace, after Dixon has retired to bed, creeps to the house, almost starving, and seeing his old friend, Barrow, the butler sitting before the open fire, he taps the window and is let into the house. Barrow, first making sure that the servants are all out of the way, takes Wallace to the kitchen and gives him a hearty meal, Wallace declares that he must leave immediately, but asks Barrow to take him to his father's bedroom that he may look upon him once again. Barrow takes the young man to the room, but has considerable difficulty in preventing him from waking Dixon. Indeed, just as they are leaving the room, he does wake. Dixon pulls a revolver from under his pillow and fires at the figures he sees in the dark. The butler falls wounded. Dixon blames his son for the occurrence and is about to order him again from the house, when Barrow interrupts them. He tells them that Wallace was innocently blamed for the robbery of the safe. The real thief was Barrow's own son, who had knocked Wallace down as he passed out through the hallway and so drawn his father's attention to him. Dixon warmly embraces his son and agrees to forget his previous erratic behavior. The butler passes away, happy that he has at last unburdened his heart of the secret that had so long oppressed him.