The comedy unfolds in the home of Bartley Murnaghan, a poetic soul who has no desire to put in a hard day's work. His wife and five children do their share to make the family's ends meet, but their and excuses to creditors are running out. When rumors that a half million pound inheritance is headed Murnaghan's way, Bartley's creative juices flow, and the comic misadventure ensues.