[2][3][4] Pop Lane, his daughter Flip, con men Nick and The Deacon, and wheeler-dealer Joe Taylor are grifters running a failed carnival concession in New York.

They scheme to stage a scam public wedding, with Flip as the bride, Nick as the groom, and The Deacon as the judge, but the con men abscond with the gate receipts.

The "wedding" is a great success but to the surprise of all, the "judge" performing the ceremony is a real justice of the peace, and Flip and Tony find themselves actually married.

The next morning Pop and Joe try to hock Flip's wedding dress but instead hit up fan dancer Tessie Schultz for a loan after rescuing her from a police raid.

The wedding dress gives Joe the idea to promote Tessie as stripper "Lillith Love" by having her pretend to be an amnesiac bride who attempted suicide after being left at the altar.