Mother Gray, the "mother" of the neighborhood, keeps the little toy and notion shop. Madge is the newsgirl on the corner and Dan the handsome, big policeman who patrols the beat and makes the children "move on" to school when the enticing display in Mother Gray's window allures them to hesitate too long. It is Madge who discovers that Mother Gray is an heiress. While she and Dan are encouraging the old lady to go to the lawyers, Peter, Mother Gray's no-good nephew, and his wife, Maude, appear. They assume immediate control of Mother Gray and later of her fortune, establishing her and themselves in a pretentious mansion. Then they conceive the diabolical plan of having sweet Mother Gray adjudged insane. But Mother Gray, with all her simple-heartedness, thwarts this scheme. Madge comes to the rescue, bringing Dan with her, and Mother Gray is given an opportunity to spend her money in her own way, making little children happy.