New England codfish-packer Silas Kidder wants his son to succeed him in the business, but because young Cuthbert seems interested only in playing pool, his father turns him out. In Chicago, Cuthbert beats a gang of pool sharks at their own game, and in anger they steal all his money and knock him out cold. He is picked up by tin-can magnate James Knight and his pretty daughter Julie, who invite him to recuperate at their estate.