Mobster Ma Webster rules her clan with an iron hand, taking charge of all their robberies despite the protests of George Frost, the only member of her gang who is not her son. On Christmas Eve, Ma, George and her sons Eddie, Charlie and Tom, rob the Centre City bank, but are warned to get out of town by her other son Bert, who disdains their criminal activity and is studying to be a lawyer. Ma and the gang go on a crime spree across the states, receiving $300,000 in ransom for kidnapping, and additional cash from various robberies.
In 1925, John becomes President of the prosperous Warren Bank when Maggie retires. Six years later, John, Helen and the two children are happy in their home, but the two mother-in-laws are still bickering. When Lizzy inadvertently starts a run on the bank, it closes when Maggie learns that John has done what she had told him never to do - used the bank bonds for a get rich quick scheme. To gain some money for the depositors, Maggie and John sell everything that they have and move in with Lizzy, who hounds them every day. Their only hope for a normal life is to get the bonds back from the crooks that have them.
