Living in adjoining homes at Oakdale, Hal Oilman and Alice Blanchard are childhood friends and playmates. Some years later. Hal goes to college, and while there makes a bitter enemy of Bert Peyson. by exposing him as a card cheat and a thief. Hal takes up college extension and settlement work, and makes it his mission in life. Returning to Oakdale, he finds Alice a beautiful young lady of 19, with a love affair. She confesses to Hal she is in love, but does not divulge the young man's name, and as her father strongly disapproves of her sweetheart, she warns him not to come to Oakdale. Hal and Alice become almost like brother and sister, but friendship slowly ripens into love, with the result that she neglects the other man. Hal is called to the city to take up settlement work, and on the eve of his departure, Alice is persuaded by her old love to elope and goes to meet him in the city, on the same train with Hal.
