Mildred lives with her grandfather, Civil War veteran Jabez Burr, whom she loves deeply.

One day, Mildred's stepmother arrives and smells Jabez's liquor, accusing him of "contaminating" her child.

His disappearance causes a stir within the family as Mildred cries and her father confronts his wife who believes she acted as any Christian woman should.

Jabez continues to write to his granddaughter, telling her that he is happy working on a farm, however the truth is he is miserable performing the manual labor.

Mildred is told by her family that they will be doing charity work at the county's "poor house" where she, to her surprise, finds Jabez who never found a new home.