A wealthy, self-made pork packer writes a series of witty, candid letters to his son offering practical business advice, moral admonitions, and observations on success, finance, and human nature; through plainspoken aphorisms and humorous anecdotes he teaches thrift, initiative, integrity, and how to read people, while painting a lively, satirical portrait of early 20th-century American commercial life and the social lessons that accompany the pursuit of wealth.