Sam Whalan es un severo capitán de barco que contrata a Sally, una chica pobre sin hogar, para que cuide de un bebé abandonado que va también en el barco, camino de Nueva York. Sally oculta su pasado y es, a ojos de los demás, la hija de un misionero.
Young Irish lad Tommy O'Day lives in a poor section of New York's Lower East Side, and is blessed with a beautiful singing voice. After an argument with his father, who accuses him of stealing the family's life savings, Tommy leaves home and gets a job singing in a cabaret. He is successful and soon lands the lead in a Broadway revue. On opening night, just as he is about to go on stage, he receives word that his mother, who he has not seen since he left home, is dying and wants to see him.
