During the Depression, Sarah Austin runs a crowded boarding house that teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. Her husband, Joe Austin, is a shiftless dreamer who never truly understands the value of work, constantly dragging the household into another get-rich-quick scheme that fizzes out just as quickly as it flares up. Their daughter, Alice Austin, pins her hopes on a romance with the earnest but poor inventor, Larry Owens, even as Sarah imagines a different future for her daughter with a more "well-connected" suitor, Bill Hepburn.
The tension between dream and reality sharpens when Bill’s real status fails to match his talk, and a misguided plan escalates into real danger. Bill, entangled in his own fantasy, ends up kidnapping Joe, mistaking him for the more important Mr. Pennypacker. The chaos widens as Joe, in a desperate bid to salvage something for his family, steals Sarah’s hidden life savings—kept in a lamp—and is drawn into a precarious investment in an oil well, a venture run by one of the boardinghouse residents, Mr. Phelps. When Sarah uncovers the betrayal, her fury is palpable and she confronts the double-threat of financial ruin and moral compromise. In an act of stubborn pride, Joe abandons the boardroom theatrics and takes a job as a ditch digger to reclaim some dignity.
The plot takes an almost cinematic turn when the oil well unexpectedly strikes oil. The family’s fortunes appear to reverse a long string of losses, and for a moment they taste the sweetness of sudden wealth. With this windfall, they travel to visit Sarah's sister, Cassie Palfrey, who lives in a refined Long Island estate, a setting that underscores the contrast between their hard-won luck and the world of their relatives. The celebration, however, is bittersweet, as the well’s supply dries up as quickly as it rose, threatening to erase the hard-won optimism that the oil had sparked.
Yet resilience and ingenuity offer a glimmer of long-term hope. Among Larry’s broader line of inventions, a tire valve stands out as a practical breakthrough that catches the attention of an investor. This development promises a substantial, steady income—over $50,000 a year in 1931—a figure that signals more than momentary luck. The family’s fortunes begin to hinge on a new, more sustainable source of income rather than volatile oil wells or impulsive schemes. As the narrative threads tighten around the tension between quick schemes and enduring value, the story traces how the Austins navigate risk, trust, and the possibility of turning invention into a lasting livelihood, all while the Depression-era backdrop colors every decision with a wary optimism.
Overall, the film sketches a portrait of a family whose misadventures—driven by desperation, pride, and a few misguided plans—are tempered by a surprising discovery: that invention and steady opportunity can outlast the whims of luck, even in hard times.
