A kind-hearted Tramp meets a beautiful blind flower girl and falls in love with her; despite his poverty, he earnestly desires to help her. She lives with her grandmother and they are struggling to pay their rent. Her blindness, the Tramp learns, can be cured with an expensive operation. Determined to improve her life, he goes to extraordinary lengths to earn the money she needs. His various attempts to raise funds are fraught with comedic mishaps. While the Tramp is on his quest to secure the money, he saves a suicidal millionaire from drowning. Grateful, the inebriated millionaire befriends the Tramp and lavishly treats him to a night out.

The next morning, however, the millionaire, sober and not recognizing the Tramp, dismisses him as a common beggar. Despite this, their paths keep crossing when the millionaire is drunk, leading to a series of encounters, each offering momentary hope and comic relief to the Tramp's plight but no lasting solution. Unwavering in his affection and commitment, the Tramp continues to scramble for a way to pay for the girl's operation. He embodies resilience and selflessness, enduring setbacks as he seeks to transform the blind girl's dark world with the gift of sight, while the vicissitudes of his own circumstances remain bleak and unpredictable.