Freddie (Jackie Cooper) loves his dog, Duke (Mischa Auer), more than anything in the world. Unfortunately, his rich father can't stand the animal. After an argument over Duke, Freddie runs away from home and becomes embroiled in a world of crime, courtesy of on-the-lam gangster Joe Calerno (Joseph Calleia). After a rocky start, Joe and Freddie become the best of friends. Meanwhile, the boy's father and the police, thinking Freddie has been kidnapped, close in on Joe.