Scheming to get Oliver to pay his way to a convention, Fire Chief Joe Carson appoints him as his assistant. Instead, Oliver finds the Hooterville Fire Department to be inept and ill-prepared. Oliver's call for improvements results in Uncle Joe being voted out and him being named the new chief.

Fed up with the lousy condition of the Hooterville highway, Oliver launches an attack on their beloved state district representative, Ben Hanks. The folksy, duck-calling, guitar-playing politician proves too wily for Oliver, even when caught padding the state payroll with relatives.