Sullivan is a young Hollywood director film ( played by Joel McCrea ) that is popular with comedy , but he is dissatisfied with the status quo and wants to make his next work a serious theme reflecting the plight of the bottom of society. In order to experience life at the bottom, he dressed as a penniless tramp and went to the people, but no matter how he tried, he always returned to Hollywood in the end.
Later, he met an actress (played by Veronica Lake ) who had failed her career and asked her to get in the car for a ride, but was mistakenly identified as a thief and sent to the police station. After his release, Sullivan followed the girl's advice and wandered with her. This time, he really became a tramp, ate leftovers, and slept in a shelter.
In the end, Sullivan felt that the experience was enough to leave the shelter, but was stunned by the greedy tramp. A thief who was crushed to death by a train was mistaken for Sullivan, and everyone thought he was dead. At the same time, Sullivan woke up with amnesia, killed a worker in the chaos, and was sentenced to six years in a labor camp. He felt the importance of laughter to him in prison, and when he recovered his memory, he gradually realized that comedy could bring more to the poor.
However, Sullivan has encountered a problem. He can't convince anyone that he is Sullivan. How can he restore his identity?
