Wealthy lawyer William Emory treats his young son Bill very strictly, despite the intervention of his wife Ruth. When Bill returns home from a military academy for the summer, Emory continually criticizes his behavior which owes more to boyish energy than to willful disobedience. Things come to a head when Bill's toy airplane damages a top hat that Emory was to wear while giving an important speech. For punishment, Bill is restricted to his yard. When he tries to stop another boy from stealing a bird's nest, however, Bill leaves his yard and his punishment is extended for a week, even though Ruth pleads for Emory to be more tolerant of his son. Bill gets into more trouble when he decides to show a neighborhood boy, Vestibule Pullman, a gun his father has hidden in a bureau drawer. Emory comes home unexpectedly and finds Vestibule hiding in the drawer with the gun. After being sent to his room in disgrace, Bill runs away