Policewoman Augusta Winthrop patrols the local dance halls nightly, tossing out hooligans on their ears. Off duty, she shelters a handful of young women struggling to break free from a life of crime. Mary Sloan arrives at Augusta's door with her baby in her arms, desperate to flee her ex-boyfriend and former crime partner, the infamous "Big" Bill Lewis. Augusta agrees to help Mary, jeopardizing her own career in the process. She resolves to put an end to Lewis's villainy once and for all.
Stage actress Lucile Gleason began her film career in 1929 with several shorts before earning feature roles in movies such as George Cukor's Girls About Town (1931) and Herbert Brenon's Girl of the Rio (1932). She starred with her husband, actor James Gleason, and son Russell in the comedy The Higgins Family (1938). Originally a vaudeville actor, Skeets Gallagher appeared in dozens of films from 1923 through the early 40s. Jason Robards was a leading man and character actor with over 200 titles to his credit, best known for movies like Isle of the Dead (1945) with Boris Karloff and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) with Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. William J. Cowan served in the Canadian military before becoming a Hollywood director, eventually helming notable films such as Oliver Twist (1933) and Kongo (1932).