In the heart of New Orleans, courtly Jefferson Duhamel lives in the ancestral family home with his ailing mother. His partner in a prominent banking firm, Payton Hale, dismisses whispers that Duhamel—an aristocrat through and through—has been frequenting the notorious gambling house run by the glamorous Julie Malo. Unbeknownst to Hale, Duhamel has been steadily losing at roulette and has racked up gambling debts totaling $200,000, secured by personal notes held by Julie.
Marlene Underwood is a star circus performer, whose husband Walt buys the circus while their son Jimmie worships everything his mother does. Marlene leaves them both to go join a larger show, then is killed in a fire, resulting in Walt going into a downward spiral of alcohol and sorrow. A woman called Lou helps restore Walt's faith in human nature, but she is resented by young Jimmie, who feels she is trying to take his mother's place.
Alan O'Connor, a Federal Agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics is transferred to the Immigration and Naturalization Service by flying to California in a Boeing 247, His mission is to use his expertise to assist them with identifying how a dangerous gang is infiltrating Chinese illegal immigrants into the United States. He meets newspaper reporter Bobbie Reynolds and her comedy relief photographer Speedy "Bulb" Callahan who are trying to obtain an interview with the director and producer of Globe Productions, a motion picture company who has yet to make a film. As O'Connor has stage acting experience, he his goaded by Reynolds to get…
Ellis (Onslow Stevens) runs Trans-Andean Air Service, a run-down company transporting supplies from Delgado, a tiny, remote outpost, over the Andes Mountains to some mines. To save money, Ellis uses worn-out aircraft and "black sheep" pilots and crew no one else will employ. He hires George Wilson (Van Heflin), and is surprised when he brings his new wife, Lee (Whitney Bourne).
Joe (Veronica Kedar) is a drug dealer who was born in New York City but lives in Israel. She travels from Bangkok to Tel Aviv smuggling drugs. Joe delivers the drugs to Abigail (Romi Aboulafia) who tells her to meet at the club 'Dark Eighties' later that night in order to sell the drugs.
Although sisters Geraldine and Carol Stewart live luxuriously in a Park Avenue apartment in New York City, their money has run out due to some bad business investments. Their servants, Williams and Annette, expect to be leaving, but the sisters invite them to remain in exchange for their unpaid back wages. They agree, then surprise the haughty sisters by expecting them to share in performing the household chores.
A young woman, Natalie Storm, works in a sweatshop and struggles to support her mother and little sister, Beatrice. Their mother dies and Beatrice suffers from poverty. Because of her circumstances, Natalie rejects the marriage proposal of Tom Chandler, a self-educated mining engineer.
Adam and Seta fall in love after meeting in a Brooklyn laundromat. She suffers from Lupus, while he is stuck at home caring for his chronically ill father. Both lie to avoid having to reveal they are anything but perfect.
Chevalier portrays a "happy-go-lucky Parisian street gypsy" who protects Dvorak's character when she is threatened by her partner in a knife-throwing act.
A trapeze artist girl in a circus is persistently demanded by her aunt to be the best in the business. She falls in love with one of the men in her trapeze act, but her mother works to break up the romance. Then another trapeze artist falls in love with her and also works to break up the romance.
A neurosurgeon is thrown out of the medical profession after he performs a daring but unsuccessful surgery. He flees to Alaska, where his plane crashes in the frozen wilderness.
Pat and Max are in love and share an intimate relationship. However, after Max receives his surgeon's diploma, his parents have arranged a marriage for him with a woman from a rich, good background. He marries that woman but occasionally bumps into Pat, explaining how he actually loves her instead of his wife.
With America engaged in fighting World War II, the traditional gangsters have fallen on tough times. 'Doc' Rogers (Robert Armstrong) summons criminals from around the nation for a summit. He proposes that the only way they can regain their former wealth and influence is by uniting under a strong leader.
The successful businessman Michael O'Flaherty "Speed" McBride (Pat O'Brien) is knocked out when a tramp he picked up drives his car into a river. Speed is rescued by a passing showboat. Meanwhile, the dead tramp is mistaken for Speed.
Frankie Foster and Stanley Benson are a pair of small-potatoes performers. Both try to make it to the big-time after winning an amateur talent contest. Though this leads them to a few professional gigs, something is missing from their act and they are not popular.
The story takes place in a small town in Georgia. Edith is a girl who has loved Jim Carter since childhood. One day they get into a quarrel and an older and very wealthy man, Norton Larrison, seizes the opportunity to court Edith.
