"Whiskers," the timid book reviewer on a metropolitan daily newspaper is fired, along with the switchboard-operator, Lucy Walters, his girlfriend. They agree to meet for dinner to discuss a book "Whiskers" is writing. Deciding to change his appearance as well as his ways, "Whiskers" has his beard shaved off at a barber shop. As he is leaving, he notices people shrinking from him in fear - without his whiskers he is the exact image of "Brute" Hanson, a gang-leader just released from prison. He runs into "Dude" Heath, a Hanson henchman, and when he fails to recognize him, "Dude" thinks he has gone stir-crazy. "Dude" telephones Maxine Carewe, Hanson's sweetheart. Henchmen "Dude," Maxie and "Dopey" kidnap "Whiskers". He is knocked out and awakens in Maxine's apartment clad in pajamas. He leaps from the bathroom window, finds a raincoat, galoshes and umbrella in the basement and takes a taxicab to Lucy's apartment. Meanwhile, Hanson's gangland rival, "Bugs" Linaker decides to kill Hanson.