Before catching the Spanish flu, Chet’s father had traveled to Montana for whiskey, which he intended to use for medicine. In the process of hauling it back to his home, his feet and hands froze. Soon, Chet’s father, mother, and brother all fell ill and had to be sent to their town’s makeshift hospital. Before leaving, Chet’s mother tells him he must hold down the fort while they are gone, and his father tells him to put away the whiskey until he comes home. While Chet is afraid of the empty house at first, he quickly grows bold when a hospital worker stops by. Chet sells some of the whiskey to him, overcharging and hoping the profit will make his father’s sacrifice worth it. However, his courage stutters after he goes hunting and returns to find two men have broken into his house. They pretend they’re there to take the whiskey to the hospital, but Chet knows that the hospital would have sent a worker to fetch it. He chases the men out with a shotgun. Afterwards, he realizes his hands are shaking with fear.

When Chet isn’t running his new whiskey business or doing chores, he calls the hospital to check on his family. Their conditions are unstable, recovering and then relapsing. While they have yet to return, Chet tries to be the best son they could have, practicing piano and trying to write a book based on his bold encounter with the whiskey thieves. To his surprise, when he looks out the window, he sees that his neighbors, the Chances, have come home from the hospital.  He quickly comes to their service, bringing them milk every day and chopping wood for them until they regain their strength completely. More and more often, Chet finds himself staying with the Chances, listening to Mr. Chance describe the Death Ward. To Chet’s horror, Mr. Chance says they moved Chet’s father to the Death Ward. Luckily, he says they later brought him out, and Mr. Chance admires how difficult it is to kill him.

Suddenly, their discussion is interrupted with gunfire and fanfare. A boy tells them the war has been won, and everyone explodes into celebration. Chet, believing his father would do the same, invites the Chances to his house to drink whiskey. The Chances then bring along more friends, and Chet’s house is transformed into a rowdy, happy scene. Their party is interrupted by Chet’s family’s return. Chet’s father, silently enraged, allows the guests to leave peacefully before snapping at Chet. He scolds him for touching the whiskey, which he specifically requested him not to do. Chet then defiantly shows him the profit he made by selling the whiskey and tells him how he chased off the thieves. His father then begins laughing, and his mother tells him they are proud of him.