On a wintry day, Laurel and Hardy's attempts to earn money as street musicians prove futile, exacerbated by their unwitting performance in front of an Institute for the Deaf.

[N 1] Amidst their misfortune, a quarrel with a woman leads to the destruction of their instruments, but a stroke of luck ensues when Stan discovers a wallet.

Oliver eventually finds him, but their troubles persist as Stan's unintended consumption of the water results in an unexpected physical transformation, symbolized by his inflated stomach.

[2] Comparing Berth Marks to this short, William Everson praised the latter over the first, stating "One of the few really poor comedies that the team made, this is a misfire all down the line.

The blame cannot be laid entirely on its paucity of plot, since single situations often stood them in good stead, and a similarly simple exercise in frustration, Below Zero, had a great deal of merit.