Recently widowed young mother Lillian Lester is forced to return to work, but she is unable to afford the asking price of an established day-care center. Based upon a newspaper advertisement, she naively entrusts 3-year old Sandy to an unsafe and overcrowded facility operated by larcenous Miss Ogden and her neglectful "assistant", Miss Vera. When the unwatched Sandy is injured in a fall at the center, Sandy's grandparents attempt to gain custody of the girl by charging Lillian with neglect. Domestic worker Hetty Wilson learns of the custody action and regards the charges against Lillian as unjust. Hetty reports the unsafe conditions at the day-care center to Captain Braddock, prompting an investigation by the Department of Social Welfare. The findings convince Captain Braddock and the investigator to offer testimony on Lillian's behalf at the custody hearing.
—Sam Spear