The world of bank cashier August Schiller centers chiefly on his patient wife and six children, and he prides himself on being an ideal father, a faithful worker, and a loyal husband. For the first time since his honeymoon, August leaves Milwaukee to deliver some bonds in Chicago, and on the train he innocently becomes involved with Mayme, an adventuress. She seduces him and during a drunken revel steals his bonds; her lover, The Tough, and his gang beat him and attempt to take his watch, but August in his fury grapples with The Tough, who is killed by a passing train. August changes clothing with The Tough and is reported as having died a hero's death defending his employer's trust. Years later, a broken derelict, he learns that his oldest son has become a famous violinist, and he hoards to buy a gallery seat at a concert. He follows the boy home on Christmas Day, catching furtive glimpses of his happy family, who fail to recognize him.