Hero plot
"We're all heroes if you catch us at the right moment. Even Bernie Laplante."
Bernie LaPlante is a petty thief. One evening, he sees a passenger plane crash and risks his own life to save its occupants from the burning wreckage. Wanting to remain as inconspicuous as possible, he flees as quickly as possible after his heroic deed. He unintentionally leaves one of his shoes behind. On his way back to town, he gets a lift from John Bubber to whom he hands the other shoe. TV journalist Gale Gayley, who was also on the plane, sees an interesting challenge in the search for the unknown rescuer. A call is made to the owner of the shoe in question. The poor man Bubber hears this, reports himself as the savior and becomes a national hero and millionaire overnight.