Scalli (Timothy Farrell) runs a dance hall on the waterfront where lonely sailors can enjoy the company of pretty girls for a dime a dance. It's also a prime location for fencing smuggled diamonds, so Scalli keeps the hot-headed Vinnie (Lenny Bruce) in his employ as a strong-arm man. Whenever a beef arises, Vinnie can be counted on to go too far, and when one of his victims washes ashore with a dance ticket in his pocket, the customs officials put one of their men undercover to get to the bottom of things. Meanwhile, a former associate of Scalli's is being released from prison. For 11 years the jailbird has kept quiet about the location of a large stash of stolen dough. Even getting his tongue cut out while in stir wouldn't convince him to spill. Scalli throws him a party, hoping to weasel some information out of him. Unfortunately, he makes the mistake of offering Vinnie's girl, Rose (Honey Harlow), as a gift, and Vinnie's temper explodes into a torrent of violence that changes everybody's plans.