城南是个黑手党活动盛行的地方，有两个帮派，一个住在AliBhai，控制古鲁和莫娜等男女巫的活动，另一支由当地雇佣兵组成，两派都对当地的包工头和土地占有者收保护费、或直接占有他们的地产，当然若有不从，则施以暴力，敲诈甚至杀死他们。长官Mohamed Maideen Khan来做城南的执政者了，他开始清理这些黑帮……华丽火爆的性感歌舞........
纽约百老汇，戏剧导演Oscar Jaffe（约翰·巴里摩尔 John Barrymore 饰）捧红了女演员Lily Garland（卡洛·朗白 Carole Lombard 饰），两人成为百老汇票房保证，同时也是一对情侣。合作三年后，Lily因为受不了Oscar对她私人生活的过度干预，偷偷跑去了好莱坞演电影。Oscar一怒之下起用了新的女演员，可惜票房很差，还在芝加哥欠下了债。在从芝加哥回纽约的二十世纪列车上，Oscar机缘巧合又和Lily在同一列火车上。Oscar试图挽回Lily，不管是爱情还是演戏，但Lily已经有了另外的恋人，也对重新和Oscar合作不感兴趣。这列火车上碰巧有一位脑子不大好使的大富翁，Oscar利用这个富翁给他开了张支票，试图以这张支票来让Lily签了演戏的合约。然而这位所谓“大富翁”原来不过是个精神病人，Oscar手中的支票毫无价值。心灰意冷的Oscar决定开枪自尽......
Wealthy Rollo Treadway (Buster Keaton) suddenly decides to propose to his neighbor across the street, Betsy O'Brien (Kathryn McGuire), and sends his servant to book passage for a honeymoon sea cruise to Honolulu. When Betsy rejects his sudden offer however, he decides to go on the trip anyway, boarding without delay that night. Because the pier number is partially covered, he ends up on the wrong ship, the Navigator, which Betsy's rich father (Frederick Vroom) has just sold to a small country at war. Agents for the other small nation in the conflict decide to set the ship adrift that same night. When Betsy's father checks up on the ship, he is captured and tied up by the saboteurs. Betsy hears his cry for help and boards the ship to look for him, just before it is cut loose. The Navigator drifts out into the Pacific Ocean. The two unwitting passengers eventually find each other. At first, they have great difficulty looking after themselves, but adapt after a few weeks. At one point, they sight a navy ship and hoist a brightly-colored flag, not realizing it signals that the ship is under quarantine. As a result, the other vessel turns away. Finally, the ship grounds itself near an inhabited tropical island and springs a leak. While Rollo dons a deep sea diving suit and submerges to patch the hole, the black natives canoe out and take Betsy captive. When Rollo emerges from the ocean, the natives are scared off, enabling him to rescue Betsy and take her back to the ship. The natives return and try to board the ship. After a fierce struggle, Rollo and Betsy try to escape in a small dinghy. It starts to sink, and the natives swiftly overtake them in their canoes. Just when all seems lost, a navy submarine surfaces right underneath them and they are saved.
故事的主人公是四个做着美梦发大财的窝囊废。 这四个人包括两个留级学渣，哈尼和小胖，他俩想去念当地的大学但是打死也考不进去。学校的门卫潘迪先生告诉他们，他可以为他们洩露试题，但是每门科目要价五万卢比。 通过潘迪先生他们认识了扎法尔，他之前在这所学校读书，如今是个不得志的歌手。他女友妮图和他分手，父亲重病急需救命钱。 四个主人公中最后一位叫做拉里，他爹开着一家糖果店。拉里正在通过函授读书，和哈尼小胖一样，同样想去那所大学也同样考不进去。潘迪先生告诉拉里，给学校捐二十五万，就能有学上了。 考试迫在眉睫，父亲重病在床，就这样，四个为钱发愁的人聚到了一起。而他们筹集这笔资金的方式格外的无厘头mdashmdash做梦夜裡小胖会做个美梦，之后哈尼解梦得出一串彩票号码，屡买屡中从未失手以至于当地彩票贩子闻风丧胆。一份投入，十份回报。自信满满的他们，在潘迪先生的带领下找到了当地黑帮，布莉。 哈尼说服布莉投资，而拉里甚至拿出了自家店舖作为担保，而布莉要求他们第二天给她中奖号码。当天晚上，所有人都在热切期待小胖睡着，做梦。 而他也不负众望地mdashmdash失眠了。 于是美梦就此变成一场噩梦。
