As the film opens, the career of George Frideric Handel is in tatters. Invited to Dublin to present the premiere of a new choral work, The Messiah, he can't find singers adequate for the job. A boy who steals a chicken runs into Mr. Handel. The boy's Mother was NOT an employee at the Cathedral, she cleaned and ironed shirts, so the mother "bribes" Mr. Handel with non-starched shirts to save her boy from being in jail. The choir sucks until the washer lady's son is discovered by Handel.
Tough City - where grifters, dips and shysters scramble for a dirty dollar and a clean shirt - where one man stands head and shoulders beneath the rest - Al Hacker - small time pickpocket - master bungler. Only Lisa, his curvaceous sister and partner-in-crime, stand between Al and disaster.