[1][2] As described in a film magazine,[3] war veteran Chester Binney incorrectly believes he is carrying a silver plate in his skull and must avoid all excitement and exertion, returns to his home town where he is feted by his old employer George Simmons, a big butter and egg magnate who hopes to strike up a match between his daughter Ethel and the ex-doughboy, as the latter is heir to a tidy fortune.
Rita arrives in town for a personal appearance, accompanied by her jealous husband Jack Shields, a prize fighter.
Simmons, who has lied to his wife as to his whereabouts on the previous night, sees the name Jack Shields on the hotel register and tells her that he is the man with whom he has been transacting business.
Curiosity takes him to the Simmons mansion, where he is introduced by Donald Mont Allen, a dapper suitor of Ethel’s who yearns for the overthrow of Chester.
Mrs. Simmons calls a cop, who bangs at a locked door behind which Shields, Chester, and Mont Allen are engaged in a scuffle in the dark.