Little Joe, outcast from the other boys his age, wants to trick a group of his classmates into making him their leader. Little Joe runs past the group of boys, hoping they will follow him into his secret cave. Sure enough, the boys chase him into the woods and see him disappear into a bush. One boy the others call "Crip" due to his bad leg, goes in after Little Joe. He enters what appears to be a cave and is plunged into darkness as he continues to follow Little Joe's voice. Little Joe also has a small lantern that dimly illuminates his location. The other boys enter what Little Joe identifies as a sewer and quickly realize they won't be able to find their way back. Little Joe tells them that there are 400 foot holes in the ground and that unless they name him their leader, he won't lead them out. Little Joe smashes the lantern to prove his point. In the darkness, the boys elect Little Joe as their leader, and he leads them out of the sewer. Back in the light, the group invites Little Joe to their treehouse. Little Joe offers to climb up the ladder last, but as soon as all the other boys are in the treehouse, he tears down the ladder and breaks it. The boys are trapped. As it begins to get dark, the boys yell for help and eventually their fathers come to get them down. According to the fathers, Little Joe told them that the boys attempted to infiltrate his cave and then tried to force him into the treehouse. The fathers praise Little Joe for wanting to help their boys despite their meanness, not knowing that it is all a lie.