In the Christmas spirit, Boston Blackie decides to entertain the inmates at his old "alma mater" by bringing a variety show headed by clown Roggi McKay.

Roggi drops one of his showgirls, Eve Sanders, as she has already visited her prisoner brother, Joe Trilby, the maximum allowed number of times that month.

When Joe manages to escape from the prison, by tying Roggi up and putting on his costume and makeup, Farraday suspects Blackie helped him.

Blackie and his sidekick "the Runt" head to Duke Banton's place, but arrive too late and find only a dead body.

From information provided by Jumbo Madigan, Blackie figures out that the other robber was taxi driver Steve Caveroni.