Based upon a famous O. Henry short story, two crooks think they have an opportunity to make a quick buck by kidnapping a rich man's son. Ironically, the hostage takers become the hostages as they pay through the nose becoming the butts of the kid's stunts.

A mining engineer, who is shunned by his peers for his unorthodox beliefs concerning the whereabouts of large uranium deposits, joins forces with a girl and her father to search for the mineral. When the father is hurt in an accident, daughter and engineer continue the project, aided by a Native American guide. Unbeknownst to the group, a reputable citizen of the town, really of low moral value, is shadowing them, his intention to jump their claim.

A photographer accidentally photographs a Nazi war criminal on the streets of New York and becomes a target for reprisals and murder.

At a skid row mission, a cleric opines as men wait to eat. After his sermon, he brings out a pie and cuts it into small slices. The two men at the end of the line get none. They leave the mission and head for a garbage dump where junk becomes props for their play. A dress form becomes Mae West; a rusted car gives them a wild ride. Then, one dresses as a priest and promises pie in the sky. By the end, they sport metal halos.

Halloran plays a practical joke on a man named Johnny. He shows him a fake newspaper with a headline reading "World to End Tonight --- 11:45 P.M." Johnny believes the headline and decides to live it up. He gets into trouble and shoots someone. A few minutes before 11:45 he sees the real headline and realizes that he has been tricked. Johnny finds Halloran and shoots him. The reporter dies at 11:45.