Bartley Hubbard visits the office of Silas Lapham. Bartley wants to conduct an interview with the millionaire businessman Silas for his “‘Solid Men of Boston’ series” (3). In a wry tone, Silas begins to narrate the story of his life.

Silas Lapham was born in 1820 on a small Vermont farm, near the border with Canada. His “quiet, unpretentious” (5) family is poor and religious. Though they lack money, his parents pride themselves on their moral standing. Yet, rather than remembering his mother praying, Silas remembers her washing his feet at night. During a storm in 1835, a tree is uprooted, revealing a pit filled with mineral paint. During this era, however, there is little local demand for such paint. People are too poor to paint their houses. Silas describes how he still keeps the old family farm going and spends a month there each summer with his family. In 1855, Silas returns from a trip to Texas, where he has worked on a tavern stand for three months. He decides to mine the paint. During this time, he also marries a teacher named Persis. Together, they become rich as the mineral paint stands up to the harsh weather without fading or chipping.