A young man and woman confront Yale Bacon after accidentally breaking his late beloved Nancy's cherished flute. Despite their desperate apologies and pleas, his associate accuses them of theft and orders them out, insulting them as parentless bastards. They reveal a check Bacon gave them to save their dying mother, but the associate dismisses it as stolen. The man, refusing to leave without the promised money, kneels and vows to stay until he gets the 300K needed for his mother's treatment, directly challenging Bacon's authority.