An aging convict tries to keep his daughter from following in his footsteps.

Soon after arriving at the prison honor farm where he is to begin serving time for his involvement in a robbery, young and petulant Johnny Lorgen starts a fight with Jim Breedin, the prisoner foreman and a fifteen-year honor farm veteran. After knocking the newcomer unconscious, Jim earns his respect and starts him on the path to self-reform. Johnny's friendship with Jim angers fellow prisoner and hardened criminal Jig Johnson, who later attempts to knife Johnny. Jim, however, steps in front of Jig as he lunges for Johnny and takes the knife himself. Later, when Jim is offered $250,000 for his abandoned farm in Oklahoma by Jim Carruthers, an oil company representative, he becomes concerned that his daughter Nora, from whom he has kept his sentence a secret, has disappeared and is no longer tending the farm. Unaware that Nora was killed in an automobile accident some time before, Jim signs a deal with Carruthers when the oil man promises to search for her. In the meantime, Jim makes preparations for life after prison by learning the rules of gentlemanly etiquette and trying them out on No End, his ill-mannered pal. Upon his release from prison, Jim turns his dream of living in a lavish penthouse into reality, and uses the money he made from the oil sale to buy a new place for himself. Despite having sworn off the world of crime, Jim soon finds himself entangled with his old crime boss, mobster Matt Enley, who accuses Jim of making off with money stolen during past jobs. In the hope of getting at the missing money, and realizing that Jim could not possibly recognize his daughter after his fifteen-year absence, Enley has his girl friend, Elaine Carter, pose as Nora and presents her as Jim's long-lost daughter. Jim readily accepts Elaine as Nora and lavishes all the affection he has on her. When Johnny, who is now out of prison, drops by to visit Jim, he immediately falls in love with Elaine. Johnny has not reformed, however, and asks Jim to introduce him to Enley for a "job." Jim offers Johnny money to keep him out of trouble, but Johnny refuses Jim's help and soon goes to work for Enley. Unable to bear Enley's impossible demands, Elaine tells Johnny the truth about the Enley's scheme and prepares to leave town. Jim, too, learns the truth about Elaine, but he forgives her and rushes to her aid when she is attacked by Enley's men. Jim then marches over to Enley's office and takes a slug at the mob boss, but Enley counters by ransoming Elaine, who has been taken hostage, for all Jim's money. Jim follows Enley's orders and brings the money to Enley's nightclub, but he manages to gain the upper hand when he grabs a partly concealed gun from a passing waiter and points it a Enley. A gun battle ensues until the police arrive and arrest the gangsters. Jim then adopts Elaine as his daughter and invites Johnny to move in with them.