Chaplin kissé kapatosan későn jön haza és minden megtörténik vele, ami csak megtörténhet egy részeg úrral, kezdve azon, hogy nem találja a kulcsot. A lakás valamennyi bútora és tárgya, az asztal, az ágy, a szőnyeg, minden "ellenséggé" válik, "leküzdendő élőlénnyé", hogy végül is előbb-utóbb mégis nyugovóra térhessen...
A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall success in England to his early Hollywood days and the development of his enormously popular character, the Little Tramp, also called Charlot.
Backstage at a theater, Charlie, an actor, is preparing for a major performance when his brother Khalid calls to announce that their mother is dying. In shock, Charlie desperately tries to contact his family but encounters practical obstacles. Torn between his duty to go on stage and the urgency of seeing his mother, he is overwhelmed with despair.