Lemuel Morewood is a wealthy businessman to whom riches bring no pleasure because he has entirely lost the sympathy of his sons, for whom he lives. Billy is society mad and completely enthralled by Mrs. Bruce Guilford, a leader of the smart set. Tom thinks of nothing but sport. He is an amateur athlete of national prominence. Lemuel longs to see the boys interested in the business. He especially wants Tom to marry Frances Berkeley and Billy to marry Emily Donelson. But the boys will have none of them. Bessie Brayton is a western orphan who has come to New York and taken up society entertaining for a living. Her only property is a half interest in the Bluebird mine, which she supposes is worthless. The Morewoods employ Bessie one evening to entertain at an exclusive dinner they are giving, and here Bessie meets Major Bellamy Didsworth, who offers to sell her half interest for her. Lemuel has run away from this dinner.