Jack Griffith, a boisterous and hard-drinking railroad supervisor who lives in turn-of-the-century Texas, is worshiped by his 6-year-old daughter, Corinne, although his behavior is a constant source of embarrassment to his wife, Ambolyn, and his elder daughter, Augusta. One of his more extravagant gestures is the purchase of a drugstore so that he and his cronies can drink on Sunday. He also buys a bankrupt circus in order to get a pony and its gaily decorated cart for Corinne. When he is forced to use all the family savings to pay the circus' debts, the disgusted Ambolyn takes their two daughters and moves to Texarkana, where her father, Anthony Ghio, is the mayor. In order to get back in his family's good graces, Jack takes his circus to Texarkana and uses it to insure his father-in-law's reelection. He tries to take Corinne back with him, but Ambolyn goes after them and in the struggle Corinne falls and injures her hand. Jack becomes so despondent over the incident that he disappears. Months later, Papa Ghio realizes that the family sorely misses the flamboyant Jack. After tracking him down in Louisiana, he persuades him to return to Texas. At first Jack is reluctant to enter the family house; but when he hears Ambolyn playing "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" on the piano, he makes his entrance and is reunited with his family.