When a young boy gets a reputation for being naughty at school he reacts by being the bad lad that everyone expects. Leaving school at fourteen he becomes a thief & eventually ends up in Hollesley Prison. But Mr Alfie the stable manager decides to give the boy a chance letting him look after the horses. It turns out that his skill with horses saves him from a life of crime: on leaving prison he manages to get a job working with horses in the army & eventually achieves his dream of becoming a drum major.