"I am going to hold a pistol to the head of the Modern Man. But I shall not use it to kill him – only to bring him to life." Innocent Smith, an "allegorical practical joker", turns everything upside down with his arrival at Beacon House, a London Boarding establishment. His passion and liveliness brightens up the place immediately, but at the height of the enjoyment, everyone is shocked when Smith tries to murder one of them.