Tells of Caleb Plummer, his son Edward and blind daughter Bertha, and rivalry over neighbor May Fielding. May's friend Dot weds John Peerybingle; they find a lucky cricket in their cottage. A mortgage and house on fire figure in the story.
A young Russian countess is told that she must marry an American within a certain period of time in order to inherit a substantial fortune. At the same time, a young American man is informed that he will come into a large sum of money if he reaches a certain bank by a given date. The two must overcome a variety of obstacles that stand in the way of their getting the money.
