The film focuses on busboy Augustus Pinkerton II (Henry Fonda), known as "Little Pinks", and his relationship with a pretty but cold-hearted singer, Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball), who is crippled in a fall after her boyfriend, New York City nightclub owner Case Ables (Barton MacLane), pushes her down a flight of stairs in a fit of jealousy. Left penniless by the expenses she incurs during a long convalescence, Gloria is forced to rely on the kindness of Pinks, who invites her to stay with him in his apartment.