When expectant housewife Connie Bedloe (Leigh) is told to add red meat to her diet, she sadly replies that her husband, Joe Johnson, makes so little money as a college instructor that their budget will not allow it. When her estranged father-in-law (Calhern) hears of the problem, the wily cattleman cooks up a scheme to trick his son into quitting the job he loves so he can take over the family business.