Badger persuades the banker to fork over hush money for his silence. Just as the deal is settled, in rushes Captain Fairweather. He has heard rumors that Bloodgood's bank may no longer be safe. When the banker refuses to return the money, the captain goes for his throat. Suddenly, Fairweather begins to swoon; his boiling emotions trigger an attack and soon he is gasping for air. The captain falls dead at Bloodgood's feet. And that's just the beginning of the story!
We jump ahead to 1906. We find Bloodgood and his spoiled daughter Alida living in grand style (on Fairweather's money). The banker has prospered when all around him have failed. Among those suffering are the members of the Fairweather family - Mrs. Fairweather and her children, Lucy and Paul. Desperate for money, they have taken up cramped lodgings with the agreeable Mr. and Mrs. Puffy, humble, rustic folks who dote on them as if they were their own flesh and blood. We also meet Mark Livingstone, once a proud and wealthy gentleman he is now forced to sell his overcoat in the street. Mark is in love with Lucy Fairweather but when Bloodgood's daughter catches sight of him, she swears to do whatever it takes to make him hers. Such is the imbalance created by Bloodgood's evil deed.