An Armenian immigrant seeking a new life in 1920s New York finds himself amid the coldness, noise, and indifference of the big city. His hopes of finding work and gaining admission to a theater academy come up against unemployment and poverty. Beneath the dazzling lights, he sees the harsh lives of the homeless and the workers, while in the world of the wealthy he finds self-interest and deceit. His encounters with the city's diverse inhabitants reveal themes of loneliness, dignity, and social inequality.