When John Jones becomes mayor of Maryville, he begins to neglect his drugstore and his family, and Granny Jones advises his wife Louise to give him a taste of his own medicine by demonstrating what would happen if she neglected her housekeeping. Louise decides to take Granny's advice when her old friend, thespian Madge Russell, visits and offers her the lead in a new play. As Louise embarks upon her new career, leaving the housekeeping chores in the hands of her oafish cousin Lolly, her husband is appointed head of a drive to raise $50,000 for a new hospital. John finds himself in double competition with rival druggist Wilbur Wentworth, who bids on the lease to John's store and plays the romantic lead to Louise's leading lady. As rehearsals proceed, escaped safecracker Cracker McGurk comes to town and is mistaken for the play's author and given a part in the production. He is eventually recognized by officer Gilligan and thrown in jail. As opening night draws near, the deadline to raise the hospital funds approaches, and John learns that his good friends on the fund-raising committee have split up the hospital contracts, guaranteeing fat profits for themselves. Furious, John threatens to return the money unless the bidding process is honest. Meanwhile, Lolly, in search of prop money for the play, takes the hospital funds and locks them in the safe on stage. When the money is discovered missing, the committee accuses John of embezzlement until Lolly admits to taking it. With only an hour left before the train delivering the funds to the state capitol is to depart, the safe becomes stuck, and the town is forced to ask McGurk to ply his skills. With the safe finally opened, John turns the money over to Wentworth to deliver and, having learned his lesson, pledges never to run for mayor again.
