A young man treats his family with disrespect and ends up leaving them, taking their money with him. When he falls on hard times, and finds himself alone in the world, he has no choice but to return home, fearing he won't be welcome because of the way he treated his father. But when he asks his father for forgiveness, he is welcomed back immediately. The message of the story is, "If anyone changes and comes back to him, God forgives them and there is joy in heaven.".