An aging man clashes with his social-climbing daughter-in-law.

When businessman Joe Plummer receives a promotion, he pulls his father Andrew out of an old folks home under the pretense of needing help at work. Andrew's officious, though well-meaning, behavior vexes Joe's wife Gertrude and her servants, who resign one after the other when Andrew tells them what to do. Andrew then meets an orphaned boy, Tommy Foster, who brings home money to his abusive uncle, Frank Crowley, from shoe shining. Tommy and Frank live in a basement apartment behind the Plummer home. When new management disallows pets, Andrew takes Tommy's mutt Snooper home with him, to the annoyance of Trudie. At a dinner party for Joe's boss, Bradford, and his wife, Snooper gets hold of her shoe and ruins it, and chaos ensues. Although Trudie is mortified at Andrew's lack of decorum, he befriends Bradford, who apologizes for his wife's snobbish histrionics. Meanwhile, Andrew meets Doc and other men who live at the Hays Home for Aged Gentlemen. The men assure Andrew that $500 one-time membership affords them good care, independence and a community of hand-picked gentlemen. One day, Andrew shows Tommy his state wrestling championship belt and pulls money from his trunk to buy Tommy new clothes. When Frank sees Tommy's new clothes, he suggests to his friend Spud that they hock the clothes and steal Andrew's money. Tommy accidentally breaks the belt buckle and takes it to a shop to be fixed. When an opening at the home becomes available, Doc suggests Andrew apply for membership, but Andrew tells him he would hurt Joe and Trudie's feelings by leaving them. Andrew then overhears Trudie tell Joe that his father humiliated her at her Orphans' committee meeting. His eyes opened, Andrew tells Joe and Trudie that he will be moving to the Hays Home, but discovers his $1,000 savings is missing. When he finds the wrestling buckle missing, he assumes Tommy stole both it and the money and reports the theft to Frank, who has hidden the money in a picture frame. Tommy swears he is innocent, then overhears Frank's plan to skip town and tells Andrew that Frank is the real thief. Andrew goes to confront Frank after sending Tommy to summon the men from the Hays Home. Andrew successfully locks Spud in a closet and wrestles Frank and pins him to the floor. Doc enters with a pistol, and he and his friends threaten to pull Frank's fingernails out unless he tells them where the money is. They retrieve the money and apprehend Frank. Andrew is then accepted into the Hays Home, along with his "gentleman" friend Tommy and his dog Snooper.