The story opens with a venerable German much addicted to pipes of strong quality, and the German house-frau seems to object very seriously to the odor of the pipe that her husband is smoking, and, taking it from him in a very forcible manner, throws it out of the window and forbids him to smoke any more. Not at all deterred, our Teutonic friend walks deliberately over to the rack and selects another pipe, lights it and puffs quietly away again, but unfortunately he is too comfortable, and the combined influence of his pipe and a good dinner proving too much, he falls fast asleep, and his pipe, falling from his mouth, sets his clothing on fire, and he awakens to find himself a mass of flames and smoke, and, fully realizing his unfortunate dilemma, this victim of involuntary conflagration frantically endeavors to extinguish himself with the tablecloth, but without having very much success, and, rendered distracted, makes his exit through the window, and rushes out to find some other way of extinguishing the flames, which are making matters exceedingly hot for him. A pretty housemaid who is dusting a rug sees the fleeing German and does what she can to "put him out" by beating him heartily with the carpet duster, but all to no purpose, and he rushes on, still smoking, to encounter a number of incidents, each more funny than the preceding one. An Italian, leading a goat, is run into and overturned; a manhole, full of water and yawning for his reception, fails to quench the flames; an alleged blind man, who can see well enough to perceive what is coming his way, and a fake cripple, who can run away very vigorously when necessity arises, help to fill out the comic situations, until the harassed man runs into a fireworks store, and setting light to the entire pyrotechnical outfit, soon produces a Fourth of July that is more realistic than respected. A charitable milkman and a fire engine company with nothing better to do next try to extinguish the unfortunate German, but without effect, and it really seems that the flames started by his pipe are unquenchable, but he finally sights a small lake, which affords a desired opportunity, and rushing into it at last manages to extinguish the fire, and he becomes his normal self once more.