Tom Leslie, editor of a small-town newspaper, is faced with bowing to the policies of a new publisher or losing his job. To take her husband's mind off his predicament, Mrs. Leslie, who is a stamp collector, suggests that he return to his old hobby of photography. Meanwhile, their son Robert becomes so absorbed in his amateur radio set that he depletes his savings account and his studies suffer. In the midst of all this trouble, Mrs. Leslie persuades her husband to take a short vacation so that the publisher of his paper can reach an unhurried decision regarding Tom's future. Tom takes Robert with him to the mountains, where a friendly forest ranger asks them to watch for a pyromaniac who has been starting forest fires. The next day, a fire starts and soon threatens all the campers and farmers in the area. When the telephone lines fail, Robert saves the day with his shortwave radio, which the rangers use to summon help. Tom's hobby then proves valuable when his telephoto camera, which had been set to photograph a deer, reveals a picture of the pyromaniac. For his scoop, Tom is rewarded $2,000 and is reinstated as editor.