Hughie Erskine has a problem. He is madly in love with Laura Merton, but both of them are flat broke. Laura's father will only give his consent to their marriage if Hughie can prove he has a thousand pounds to his name.

When Hughie drops in on his friend, the artist, Alan Trevor, he finds him painting a portrait of a ragged beggar. Sympathising with the poor man's plight, Hughie gives the old man a sovereign he can little afford. But the beggar is not all he seems, and Hughie's fortunes are about to change dramatically...