Paul Julius Reuter (Edward G. Robinson) starts a messenger service using homing pigeons to fill a gap in the telegraph network spanning Europe, but has difficulty convincing anyone to subscribe. When poison is sent to a hospital by mistake, Reuter's message saves the day (and many lives). However, he is persuaded by Ida Magnus (Edna Best), the pretty daughter of Dr. Magnus (Otto Kruger), to keep it quiet, as a scandal would undo all the good work the doctors are doing.