A disgraced school master, Benjamin Twist, is mistaken for a tough prison governor and assigned the charge of a prison for particularly hardened criminals. Believing he is being sent to a school rather than a prison, he celebrates accordingly only to find that his drunkenness accidently lands him on the wrong side of the prison bars. The Governorship is eventually restored to him, and he sets about popularising himself amongst the convicts by turning a blind eye to their shady dealings.

Un desgraciado director de escuela, Benjamin Twist, es confundido por un duro gobernante de prisión y es designado a cargo de una prisión de peligrosos criminales. Creyendo que es enviado a una escuela, éste lo celebra llegando a la conclusión de que se ha despertado de su borrachera en el lado equivocado de los barrotes.