 Steamboat Bill is excited that his son (Steamboat Bill Jr.) is coming to visit him. When he does, he tries to turn him into a proper person for working on the boats, while his son resists. Meanwhile, Marion, a girl that he knows, spots him and introduces him to her father, rivals with Steamboat Bill. He tries to be alone with her, but gets caught several times, and is given a ticket back to Boston. Steamboat Bill gets arrested for unruly conduct (on a condemnation notice of his boat) and it s up to Bill Jr. to rescue his dad - in the middle of a cyclone storm.