A poor man assumes the identity of a wealthy look-alike after accidentally killing him; his wife prefers the new, non-abusive version and falls in love him.
Rupert Julian directs and plays both lead characters in this classic poor-meets-rich doppelganger tale of assumed identity. Richard Olwell is a wealthy but mean drunk and second-rate husband while Richard Hatton is the poor but hard-working printer. When Olwell refuses to pay Hatton for a job, a fight breaks out, and Olwell inadvertently dies in a fall. Hatton seizes the opportunity and hops into the rich man's clothes and life. Hatton may be racked with guilt, but that doesn't stop Winifred Olwell from falling in love with her changed husband.—pdlussier1