Eddie and Jean perform a torch song, then make out in the moonlight. Brad slips out during a square dance and returns to his empty office to wrestle with his soul. The handwriting is on the wall. You can't buck the future. Brad is forced to lay off, not just a few men, but everyone.
Disgruntled workers struggle to make ends meet with meager unemployment checks.
Eaton Falls has begun to curse the name of Brad Adams. Eddie's crackpot inventions give Brad an idea. By building an automatic cutter into the machine mold, he can eliminate the trimming phase. By cutting that cost and using the new machines, he may be able to open the factory again soon. Ike, Eddie, Brad and others work through the night on the secret project, but come dawn the high-tech idea is still full of bugs.