 Unsuccessful inventor Sam Bisbee has developed scores of impractical inventions over the years but is now on the brink of success with his new puncture-proof tire. His long-suffering wife has tolerated his late night drinking and sometimes boorish behavior which now threaten the engagement of their beautiful daughter and the scion of the town s most wealthy family. After the snobbish Mrs. Murchison visits the modest Bisbee home and meets Sam, she vows that the marriage will never take place. When Bisbee s prospective sale of his tire formula also goes awry, the despondent inventor takes a long train trip to avoid humiliation and contemplates committing suicide by swallowing iodine. After a last minute change of heart, he accidentally meets and endears himself to a touring princess. She uses her prestige to rehabilitate his damaged reputation, reunite the young lovers, and make him a millionaire by facilitating the sale of his tire formula.