When the United States enters World War I, Helen Morrison, a widow, worries that she will lose her only son David, who has just reached the age of twenty-one. Although David patriotically urges the employees at his factory to enlist, he reluctantly gives in to his mother's pleas to remain at home with her. When David is drafted, his mother, panic-stricken, alters the date on his birth certificate, even though the later birthdate implies that he is illegitimate. Disgusted, David enlists under an assumed name, thus shaming Helen, who confesses her dishonesty to the townspeople. Her son, now in uniform, then forgives her.