In the foggy, grimy back alleys of Paris, the steam from laundries mingles with the heavy scent of taverns. Albert Capellani, still in the early stages of his artistic career, brings the shattered lives of the working class into sharp focus. Characters who constantly strive to get one step ahead but fall into the web of fate and weakness carry the reality of the street on their shoulders. Reflecting the rawest form of the drama genre, this film documents, with a cold and detached gaze, the wounds that alcohol and poverty inflict on the human spirit.