In which the earnest Dr. Arrowsmith arrives in the bustling agricultural city of Nautilus to begin his work under the indefatigable and theatrical Dr. Pickerbaugh, whose boundless enthusiasm for public health is expressed in jingles, orations, and the lively antics of his many daughters. Despite Arrowsmith’s initial misgivings and discomfort with Pickerbaugh’s flamboyant methods, he finds himself entangled in the social and domestic whirlwind of this vigorous community.