在大街上，彷徨着一个落魄潦倒的青年（巴斯特·基顿 Buster Keaton 饰），他饥肠辘辘，无事可做，并且运气糟糕透顶。即便是免费的救济面包，也阴差阳错拿不到手。他四处闲逛，来到一家照相馆前。真是霉运当头，此时里面正在给一个杀人犯（Malcolm St. Clair 饰）拍照，杀人犯却耍花招让摄影师拍到了青年的脸，自己则趁乱溜之大吉。
在此之后，他又偶然惹上了警察，以至于被他们连追了几条街，甚至不得不条上火车逃跑。当他来到另一个城镇却惊讶的发现，印有自己头像的通缉令贴满了大街小巷。他成了杀人在逃的重大杀人犯……

Buster clowns around in a blacksmith's shop until he and the smithy get in a fight which sends the smithy to jail. Buster helps several customers with horses, then destroys a Rolls Royce while fixing the car parked next to it.

Playboy Teddy Ward wants to marry Jeannie King, an artist, but his father wants him to marry Loris Lane, but tells Teddy he can marry whom he pleases if he will make the Mountain Inn a profitable operation. Teddy agrees, and with the support of his friends arranges an ice-boat race with a $10,000 prize to the winner. A problem arises when his father refuses to pay such an amount. Teddy thinks one of his friends will win the race and refuse the prize, but champion racer "Duke" Slade shows up and Teddy knows he will take the money. Some movie stars show up and, while using their own names, are definitely not playing "Self" in this fictional film.