When Barney gets an offer to become the sheriff of nearby Greendale, Andy decides to let him be the sheriff of Mayberry for a day to give him a taste of what the top law-enforcement spot entails.

With the town jail full, Andy reluctantly decides to have the town drunk, Otis Campbell, incarcerated in Andy's own home. But when Aunt Bee takes charge as the "warden," Otis is soon howling to be locked up in the real jail!