在本片中，罗依德扮演一名百货公司的店员。该公司为了商业宣传，请了一位特技演员前来表演从楼下爬到大楼屋顶的绝技，不料那位特技演员途中与交通警员发生了纠纷而无法赶到。百货公司为了向围观的群众有所交代，只好由罗依德权充演员，在众目睽睽之下表演特技。

在小镇上，一个年轻人游手好闲无所事事，于是他决定去纽约碰碰运气。影片讲述了1925年发生在美国西部牛仔的故事，风格搞笑幽默。
A young man who doesn't find a job in his small hometown, tries his luck in New York, but is overwelmed by the life of the city, so decides to try his luck somewhere else after a only a few minutes in New York. He falls off a train near a ranch, where he tries his luck as a cowbowy, being in his own way very sucessful. But he shows what he can do when the farm has to bring a 100 head of cattle to the slaughterhouses of Los Angeles to avoid going bankrupt, against the will of his neighbour who wants a better price. After a shoot-out with the neighbour's men he's the only person on a Los Angeles bound train with 1000 cows....

哈罗德（哈罗德·劳埃德 Harold Lloyd 饰）是出生在乡下的小镇青年，刚刚升入大学的他对未来充满了憧憬和希望，他渴望成为校园里的风云人物，并且为此做出了很多的努力，可是他的种种举动却成为了旁人眼中的笑话，不仅如此，呆头呆脑的他还屡屡遭人算计，扮演着冤大头的角色。
女学生佩姬（乔拜娜·劳斯顿 Jobyna Ralston 饰）不忍心看到哈罗德被刷得团团转，于是好心的提醒他，终于明白了事情真相的哈罗德陷入了消沉的情绪之中。好在哈罗德是一位乐观的青年，重振旗鼓之后，哈罗德加入了校足球队，虽然只能坐冷板凳，但哈罗德知道，只要自己坚守这一位置一天，就总能遇到让自己发光发热的机会。

史提迪是一个热爱棒球的人，他甚至疯狂到没有一个正当的工作，唯独能和棒球相提并论的只有他的女友，珍。与珍相处过后他非常想要娶她为妻，但必须先要有份正当的工作，更重要的是因为铁路公司想私下低价收购祖父的包柏马车公司，她希望能确定她祖父的马车事业能被保住。史提迪想尽办法组织邻居、老朋友甚至流浪狗，用尽所有方式阻挠他们的计划。

哈罗德（哈罗德·劳埃德 Harold Lloyd 饰）是裁缝铺里的学徒，个性腼腆内向的他在女人面前总是面红耳赤畏首畏尾，因此常常受到女顾客们的嘲笑。哈罗德是一个非常热爱幻想的人，在他的幻想里，自己是一个将所有女人都玩弄在股掌之中的花花公子，哈罗德将自己的这些荒诞幻想都记录在案写成了小说。
一天，哈罗德决定将已经完成的书稿带往出版社，运气好的话说不定能获得出版的资格。在前往出版社的途中，哈罗德在火车上邂逅了名为玛丽（乔拜娜·劳斯顿 Jobyna Ralston 饰）的女孩。纯洁美丽的玛丽很快就吸引了哈罗德的目光，可与此同时，哈罗德怕女人的老毛病又犯了。

After a short split prologue showing riches as the root of evil in ancient and modern times, the film settles into 1914 France, where the Orient Express is about to be wrecked when a bridge washes out. Among those on board are Al and Travis, Americans who are traveling Europe spending Travis' money, and Marie, a German girl. The boys save Marie after the wreck and Travis falls in love with her. When World War I breaks out Al wants to enlist, but Travis can't, feeling loyal to Marie, a German. By 1917 Al has enlisted, and Travis follows him shortly after marrying Marie. Accused of being a German spy by a Russian agent, she is sentenced to die but is recognized by Travis, who is part of the firing squad. The town they are in is shelled and they are all trapped underground, during which a minister makes a lengthy parallel to ancient times when the King of Akkad persecuted his subjects and defied Jehovah, who finally sends a flood to wipe out mankind, except for Noah and his family, whom he has instructed to build an ark and fill it with two of every creature on earth.