Joe [see note below] has a small shoe repairing business, but when war breaks out he decides to close the shop and join the army to serve his country. After two years in the army, Joe returns home on crutches, and is unable to restart his business. Joe's wife goes to visit Lady Dorothea Hamlyn, a wealthy lady and supporter of good causes, bearing a letter of introduction explaining their case and asking for help to restart the business. Lady Hamlyn says that both she and her husband should return another day and she will introduce them to John Hodge MP, Minister of Pensions. When they return, Hodge explains to them his scheme for aiding discharged soldiers to start work again following service, and appeals directly to camera for the three million pounds needed to make the scheme work. Revived by a loan from Hodge's scheme, Joe's business soon begins to thrive, and one of his old customers returns.

NOTE: The name of the character played by Henry Edwards appears as Joe in an insert of a letter (the one delivered by the Chrissie White character to Alma Taylor), but he is also called Bill in an intertitle later in the film.