When his dog dies, apparently from being poisoned, the young son of the owner of a small orange orchard in California immediately suspects an unfriendly, mysterious stranger who has just moved into the area, who recently had a quarrel with the boy's father about the boy's behavior. The boy's suspicions grow and also influence other townspeople who make conjectures that the stranger may also be a criminal. Unwarranted assumptions and wild speculations lead to a near crisis before the truth is revealed.