In the small town of Weston, newspaper editor Pete Martin and wealthy banker Abb Crothers have quarrelled ever since they were boys, but underneath their discord lies a strong bond. One day, Tom Manning and two other men arrive in Weston, posing as theatrical producers desirous of staging a summer show. Long hopeful of establishing a local theater, Pete supports their endeavor. When Abb learns of their scheme, however, he warns his friends against investing their money, thus prompting Pete to write a scathing editorial. Meanwhile, Pete's daughter Mary falls in love with Tom, and tries to convince Abb to rent his barn to Tom for a theater. When Abb vehemently refuses, Pete mortgages his paper to buy the barn. A few weeks later, Abb becomes seriously ill. Thinking that his old adversary is going to die, Pete writes a touching obituary. The next morning, as Pete finishes his tribute, he learns that Abb will recover and shoves the article in his desk drawer. As the day of the performance nears, Tom's conscience begins to trouble him and he decides to cancel the show and return the investors' money. When Abb, who has investigated the promoters, provides evidence of Tom's duplicity to Mary, the two lovers argue and Tom leaves town. Determined to justify Pete's faith in him, Tom decides to return and stage the show. On opening night, Pete suffers a severe heart attack. Abb's true feelings for his friend come to the fore when, upon learning that some theatrical critics are planning to review a show in a neighboring town, Abb changes the road signs to direct the critics to Weston instead. That night, as the show wins critical acclaim and Tom and Mary reconcile, Abb mutely watches his old friend pass away. As he passes the newspaper office on his way home, Abb decides to write an obituary for Pete and finds the touching tribute that Pete wrote to him. With tears in his eyes, Abb tells the printer to run the obituary, substituting Pete's name for his.