Colby has just been named the confidential clerk of Sir Claude. Colby is the bastard son of Claude, and Claude wants him to accept him after many years of cold relations. However, Claude’s wife, Lady Elizabeth, soon believes that Colby is the son who she lost decades ago in a previous marriage. When Claude reveals her that Colby is his son from a previous relation and not hers, Elizabeth refuses to believe so. The plot gets more difficult as an inquiry takes place, in which Colby’s poor aunt, Mrs. Guzzard, reveals that the new confidential clerk is actually her son and that she said Claude was the father so Colby could have the upbringing she couldn’t give him.