In desperation to feed and clothe his four children, Dixie takes an illicit job as a night security guard at the docks. He soon discovers that one man alone on a ship at night can do nothing but turn a blind eye to a gang of pilferers but, if the missing goods are noticed, what will he tell his boss, whose small security company is struggling to survive? Meanwhile, the petty bureucrats at the D.O.E. launch an undercover operation, and Dixie's wife Freda is too frightened to open the door to the house.