London's thieves are at the mercy of a super fence, who is in on every big jewellry robbery in the city. If the thieves won't split the loot with him, 'The Squeaker' shops them to the Police. A disgraced ex-detective believes there may be an opportunity to clear his name if he can capture 'The Squeaker'.
British Army captain Geoff Roberts (Adolphe Menjou) carries on an affair with Alva (Lili Damita), the wife of the cruel Victor Sangrito (Erich Von Stroheim). Sangrito, however, is well aware of the affair, as he uses his beautiful wife to lure men into romance with her, then blackmailing them to save their careers.
During World War I, the wily and attractive French POW Sergeant Dumaine is sequestered in a prison camp near the castle of a prideful Prussian nobleman and military general, Count Reichendorf, who lives for the day that his four sons will march triumphantly into Paris. Having lost three sons to the French and English armies, and left with only one son, Dietrich, Reichendorf laments the days when his family made Prussia "the might of land." He is forced to recruit military men from the prison camp. Axelle, the daughter of one of the sons, who became his ward when her parents died, lives in the Reichendorf castle and makes periodic goodwill visits to the prison compound, where she first encounters Dumaine. Captain Ebbing, the martinet and disfigured prison commandant, develops an interest in Axtelle. He courts her, but Axelle shows little interest in him, and when he reminds her how he dazzled her before he went into battle, she rejects his affections and tells him that she is engaged to Dietrich. Ebbing pleads with her, insisting that his love for her is more intense and enduring than that of any other man, but she is not swayed.
Orville "Gabby" Denton is an alcoholic drifter with a chronic gambling problem. Despite his flaws he is beloved by his family. Gabby's brother-in-law Beef gets Gabby work as a mechanic at the Metropolitan Garage. The shop is a front to a stolen car ring. His brother-in-law Beef, who is otherwise honest, is aware of this. One day, Gabby is sent to pick up Silver, Jenkins's girl friend, whose car has broken down. Both Gabby and Silver start a relationship, after which Silver leaves Jenkins. During a getaway one of car thieves hits Gabby's nephew Buddy, who is in the street driving a toy car. The driver makes it to the garage, and Buddy receives treatment at a hospital. A witness points out the car to Gabby, and he understands it's the car that drove into the garage to be repainted. He investigates and discovers a piece of Buddy's little car in the wheel of the stolen car. When he confronts Beef, Beef gets drunk and confronts Jenkins and the head of the stolen car ring. They kill Beef, making his death look accidental. Photographer Bill Jones gives Gabby a photograph of Beef in the car before the accident, which shows Beef was already dead. Silver and Gabby confront Jenkins. The criminals drive away, but die in a car crash. With the hoodlums out of the way, Gabby marries Silver.
Nick, un écrivain ayant du mal à percer, se marie avec Olivia. Mais peu après ils commencent à avoir du mal à ne pas se quereller, et les raisons de le faire vont être encore plus nombreuses après la naissance de leur fille. Ils finissent pas divorcer.
Anne Rogers est la secrétaire de Kenneth Bixby, un auteur de nombreux romans best-sellers. Lors d'une tournée de conférences, il rencontre Julie Wilson, une ancienne amie, qui croit qu'elle est la source d'inspiration pour son dernier roman. Ayant entendu parler de Bixby tout au long de son mariage, le mari de Julie le déteste, même s'il ne l'a jamais rencontré. Julie est déterminé à raviver leur romance, et pendant ce temps Anne prend soin du mari.
A Chinese youth Cheung Hai Keung (Yuen Siu Kit 元少傑) married with a lustful wife Ng Chu Lau (Lee Lai 李麗), finally get divorced from her, she and her adulterer Lau Kwai Sung then slander Cheung Hai Keung as Chinese Communist, forcing him use a pseudonym as Lee Cheung Seng (李章生), escape to Bangkok. When he arrive in Bangkok, he was hurt by rice bags collapse beside Tai Fung Rice Mill (大豐碾米廠), so meet the boss Chan, get a job here, and fall in love with his daughter Chan Sik Fa (Wu Siu Kwan 胡少君).
In Vienna, Baroness Teri von Horhenfels (Kay Francis) relieves the boredom of her marriage to her rich but dull husband (Henry Kolker) with love affairs. One day, at an exclusive jewel shop to purchase a diamond ring, her tedium is lifted by a suave, charming thief (William Powell) and his gang. In turn, he is entranced by her beauty. He locks her husband and her latest lover, Paul (Hardie Albright) (of whom she has already tired), in the vault, and forces shop owner Hollander (Lee Kohlmar) to smoke a special cigarette that soon makes him forget his troubles. She however persuades him into leaving her free. However, he is not so carried away as to neglect his duties; he takes her ring, all 28 carats (5.6 g) of it.