The girl was young, pretty, and also a good businesswoman; When her father died she took up the reins of management and ran an orange grove with successful results.
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 rich man who finds that there is nothing in life worth living for, is worse off than is a poor man in similar circumstances, for the poor man may he stricken with ambition, and in a last effort to attain fame and fortune, redeems himself.