Having sacrificed his dream of getting a high school diploma after his father’s death, Alvin works at a farm providing for his family and caring for his sick mother. He disapproves of his younger brother Laird, who had the chance to finish his schooling but threw it away to travel with the circus. Back when the war started up, Laird became a soldier and married a showgirl named Lolly. With the cessation of fighting, he comes home; much to Alvin’s disappointment, their sick mother seems more proud of Laird than she ever was of him. One morning Alvin goes grocery shopping and observes that everyone coddles Laird and goes out of their way to give him treats and free food. Since he works as a showman, the children adore him. Alvin resents this outpouring of affection – he feels as though his own contributions to the town are overlooked in favor of a few cheap tricks. His own children constantly disregard their chores to go see Laird in his trailer, and one evening at a show, he sees the excitement on his wife Maud’s face as Laird performs a simple knot trick. Maud is woken the next morning by a strange noise. Alvin sits by the side of the bed, an anguished look on his face. He complains about always coming second to Laird, even in the eyes of his own family. Maud assures him that this is not the case; she realizes that the sound that woke her up was Alvin tugging at the cloth and failing to replicate the knot trick that Laird had done so effortlessly.