String Whalen, a carnival wheel-of-fortune operator, is greatly attracted to Lutie and gains her gratitude when he recovers her purse from a pickpocket. At a dance that evening, String promises Lutie to forsake his gambling career. He breaks that promise the very next day when he returns to the wheel in an effort to win $1,500 for an operation on his crippled friend Andy. Zelda, a firediver at the carnival, resents String's attentions to Lutie, and when Lutie goes to the diving platform with Zelda to research a newspaper article, Zelda sets the platform afire. There is a riot at the carnival and, unknown to Zelda, the diving tank is broken. Zelda dives into an empty tank and breaks her neck; String rescues Lutie and is duly rewarded.