A Scottish town's powerful provost (mayor) struts and brags about his city "improvements" while the cowed villagers are sullenly forced to put up with him.

A free-spirited English reporter is brought from London to work for the local newspaper and soon clashes with the autocrat—while falling in love with his daughter.

The local police are about to put her sheepdog Patsy to death because she cannot pay the back taxes and subsequent fine incurred by her ownership of the dog.

The idealistic young reporter exposes the injustice in the local newspaper before the editors have a chance to suppress the article, and it sparks an indignant protest campaign all over England and Scotland.

[4] The critic for The Montreal Gazette wrote, "the excellent story is done fullest justice by the directors, Victor Saville and Dalrymple, and by the large and often-brilliant cast.