In a provincial English town around year 1900, Albert Juggins (Poul Müller) has been assistant manager of the bank for ten years; he is a timid man, inoffensive, unassertive. Manager he will never be, he lacks the necessary push and drive and Mr Pepperel (Gunnar Lauring), the Chairman of the Board, bullies him; Kate (Grethe Holmer), secretary at the bank, dotes on him but to no avail; he is hardly aware of her existence. Then the walking stick comes into his life, left to him in the will of the late Colonel Trevor.