Young Tom Powers has a wild, irresponsible lifestyle which is condemned by his father but indulged by his well-meaning mother. Tom is pressed to pay his gambling debts, but his father refuses to give him the money. Later, the father plans a business trip on which he will be carrying a large amount of cash. In desperation, Tom disguises himself and surreptitiously enters the house to steal his father’s wallet. Seeing the "burglar" but unaware of his identity, his mother removes the money from the wallet and substitutes the timetable on which Tom’s father had marked his itinerary, intending to give Tom the money and blame the theft on the "burglar". Tom is later apprehended by the police, and his father, called to the station, opens the retrieved wallet and finds the timetable inside. Instantly realizing what has happened, he allows his son to go free. Tom is sobered by the incident and goes away to make a fresh start in life.
DirectorD.W. Griffith
