Out in the farm-lands near Portland, the Widow Walters lives with her daughter Ethel. As far as affections are concerned, those of the widow are confined to her daughter, until Squire Lang, a fat old widower, with his son Harry, moves onto the adjoining farm.
Veteran Warner and old gardener Burns vie for the hand of Widow Simpson, and the gardener steals the former's uniform and joins in the ranks of a parade, pursued by his rival.
A self-centred wealthy woman is transformed after she is confronted with the harsh reality of the living conditions endured by the employees of her husband's mill.
Set in a tenement, a lonely confirmed bachelor occupies a room across the hall from a dour spinster. Children run amok in the hallways playing pranks on the two.