When pretty Kay Walling visits the steel mill owned by her father, crane operator Buck Garrett saves her from being engulfed by red-hot sparks. Also on hand with Kay's ruthless father are Grenaker, the mill's general manager, and Sam Parker, Walling's elderly friend who is the mill's principal stockholder. They tour the mill and see how the steel is transformed from raw ore to the finished product. Soon after, Buck leads a group of workers to Walling's mansion, at which a party is underway, to demand better working conditions. After Buck then leads the men to strike, Walling agrees to their conditions and, impressed with Buck's no-nonsense leadership abilities, promotes him to personnel manager. Buck discovers that Walling and Grenaker are concocting a crooked deal to force out Parker. When Buck informs Parker, the wily broker uses his Wall Street know-how to force out Walling and Grenaker and take over the mill. In return for his loyalty, Parker makes Buck the new president and helps iron out his romantic difficulties with Kay, who had begun seeing Buck despite her father's objections. After Buck and Kay are married, they move to New York, where Buck begins to dabble in stocks. Being a businessman suits him, and he gradually builds an empire through stocks, mergers and consolidations. Letting his reputation as a brilliant executive go to his head, Buck forgets his background as a champion of the workers and closes the mill as he becomes as ruthless as Walling. While he wins in the stock market and permits business to monopolize his time, Buck loses the love and respect of his wife. Determined to bring Buck to his senses, Kay listens to Parker's warning that Buck is in danger of losing everything because he has spread himself too thin. Parker eventually pulls out of his business dealings with Buck, a fact which Kay leaks to Buck's competitors. She connives with Grenaker to further weaken Buck's position, and when the stock market crashes in 1929, Buck is bankrupted. Distraught over his losses and worried that Kay is romantically involved with Grenaker, Buck seeks solace by returning to his hometown. He is reviled by the his former co-workers for closing the mill, however, and is about to be stormed by an angry mob when Parker arrives and announces the reopening of the mill. Parker places Buck in charge of the mill, where he regains his reputation as an honest and fair employer. His hard work also regains the respect of Kay, and the couple reconcile with Parker's aid.