Patricia "Patsy" Sanderson is an orphan with what would seem to be plain bad luck. Every time she's placed for adoption, tragedy befalls the person wanting to adopt her. She's been well-schooled in the Bible and relies on it for guidance when times get tougher. She decides to run away from the orphanage and ends up in Egypt, NJ where she's taken in by Jim Creighton, editor of the newspaper. Misfortune seems to be on her heels, and Creighton loses his job because of some cross words with a prominent citizen, Luther Marvin. Just when matters couldn't seem to get any worse, Marvin's paint factory explodes and Creighton is critically injured while aiding the rescue effort, and Patsy prepares for her departure, hoping her disappearance will keep Creighton from dying.