The film stars Franchot Tone, Madge Evans, Stuart Erwin, Joseph Calleia, Robert Barrat and J. Farrell MacDonald.

[1][2] In 1935, the numbers racket (selling of illegal lottery tickets) is big business throughout New York City, much of it controlled by mobsters, who are feared by the populace.

Meanwhile, crusading, likeable young newspaper reporter Tim Higgins has just published an exposé of graft in the awarding of major city contracts, only to have his article challenged by the accused, who threatens to sue for libel.

She pleads for Higgins to help her father, who was just visited and ordered by a mob representative to aggressively increase his sales of lottery numbers to gullible store patrons.

Mr. Devlin eventually sells his store to a man he does not realize is a mobster, who throws in a free sea voyage to Cuba.