Rufe Eldridge, flat broke, is taken from his dinner by the landlord, who propels him out of the dining-room into the office. He discovers a letter informing him that his aunt, Priscilla Ware, has died and left him an inheritance. This turns out to be her boarding-house, "The Broken Shutter." Though ignorant of the ways of managing a boarding house, Rufe decides to take a chance. Susie Summers is accepted as a waitress. She tells him of a fortune teller who predicted many happy things for her. This gives Rufe an idea. Rufe dresses himself in Oriental costume, and, presenting himself at his former lodging house, tells them that he is the Princess Pashio, finder of lost heirs and heiresses. He walks through the streets of Circleville blindfolded, the entire town at his heels, until he arrives at his house. Rufe tells them that this is the place. He opens a fortune-telling parlor and does a land-office business. The boarding-house is filled to overflowing with the curious, who all pay him money for information as to who the heiress is. To the men he says that she is a sleepwalker, who wanders around in the dead of night. The women feel that they are slighted, so he explains to them that he meant an heir instead of an heiress. That night the women lie in wait for the sleep-walking heir and the men do likewise. Rufe, meanwhile, does a little courting with Susie. Susie, to carry out her end of the plot, walks down the hallway and is seen by Old Lollypop, Rufe's former landlord. He thinks that she is the heiress and he pushes his suit and asks her hand in marriage. She replies evasively, but finally promises to marry him if he will buy the hash house from Rufe. The landlord is undecided about this, but the pseudo fortune-teller advises him to buy it at Rufe's price, as his fortune depends on it. The landlord finally draws $10,000 out of the bank and gives it to Rufe, who gets Susie and the two are about to leave to get married when the landlord and the other boarders overtake them. They are received with the information that Susie is the heiress, that the money received from the landlord and boarders constitutes the fortune.