Old man Prouty arrives unexpectedly at the small apartment occupied by his son and daughter-in-law and announces that he has come to stay. Fred and Nettie do their best to make him happy and comfortable; but his presence seriously interferes with their way of life, and he soon becomes a source of constant irritation in the household. Nettie arranges a luncheon for a few of her friends, and the old man and his friends make a mess of the apartment and eat all the sandwiches; he later breaks up the luncheon with his constant interruptions. This is the last straw for Nettie, and she tells Fred that either his father goes or she goes. The old man then visits his cronies at the old folks' home and likes it well enough to plan to live there. Fred and Nettie dissuade him for a while, but when he discovers that Nettie is pregnant, he moves out for good, realizing that the old must give way to the young.