Handsome Williams is a bootlegger with a frightening mug and a horror of mirrors; when he is not busy hijacking the liquor wagons of rival bootleggers, he is powerfully drawn to Nora, a blind violinist who plays for pennies outside his club. Also in love with Nora is Dan, the piano player. Sadness and self-sacrifice inform their love triangle in this otherwise lively testament to Frank Capra's early expertise. William K. Everson writes, "Capra, fresh from (his) comedy beginnings, keeps his story on the move despite the sentiment. There are many comic touches, the story is short and to the point, and there's a slam-bang action climax. It's a much livelier film than most gangster films of the period, and Capra makes sure that every one of the approximately $20,000 that made up the film's budget shows up on the screen. Big scenes that aren't really necessary (like the visit to the Fun Fair) are just talked about-one popping balloon after the event takes care of the Fun Fair-and much use of shadows makes intimate scenes more interesting than showing faces and figures against meager sets."