A collection of comic stories follows an immigrant's efforts to advance in American life while juggling business partnerships, family obligations, and matrimonial and social ambitions. Episodes revolve around shoproom dealings, the logistical and emotional complications of bringing relatives to a new country, and contests of pride and etiquette. Humor grows from misunderstandings, cultural friction, and characters' pretensions, blending farce and gentle satire to examine the uneasy balance between thrift, respectability, and the desire for upward mobility.