Elderly John T. Minick arrives in Chicago to live with his son Fred and daughter-in-law Nettie. In his determination not to be a burden, he tries to fix broken objects in the house, but his efforts fail and Nettie is forced to call a professional repairman. Unwanted in the house, Minick heads for the garden. There, he meets Dickie, the small boy who lives next door, and learns he is an orphan living with Jim Crowley and his wife Sadie. While they walk together, Dickie steals some bananas. Minick pays for them, but afterward he lectures Dickie about stealing until he promises never to do it again. Minick also meets some men his own age, who live together at a home for old gentlemen. Minick invites his friends home, where they eat the sandwiches Nettie had prepared for the members of her women's club. Nettie asks the friends to leave, but Minick stays and disrupts the meeting with his questions and comments. That night, Nettie tells Fred that although she loves Minick, she just cannot stand having him in the house. Minick overhears her comments and decides to move to the old men's home. Then he discovers that the money he had hidden in his trunk is missing. He immediately suspects Dickie, who denies the theft and accuses Crowley. Minick confronts Crowley, using a wrestling hold on him until he confesses. The police take Crowley away, and Minick moves to the old men's home, bringing Dickie with him according to the home bylaws, which permit any man under ninety to reside there.
