Big Steve Halloway, gambler and proprietor of New York's Horseshoe Cabaret, is in desperate need of money. He arranges for his fellow bookies, especially Sorrowful Jones, to each pay him $1,000 for his racehorse, Dream Prince, to lose. With all bets being placed at the window, Sorrowful encounters a gambler, having lost $500, wanting to place his bet but unable to come up with $20. Instead, he places his little girl, Marthy Jane, as security, or in bookie's terms a "marker". "Marky", as she comes to be known, winds up under the care of Sorrowful Jones and his lady friend, singer Bangles Carson.
Shirley Temple
as Marthy Jane aka 'Marky'
Adolphe Menjou
as Sorrowful Jones
Charles Bickford
as Big Steve Halloway
Dorothy Dell
as Bangles Carson
Warren Hymer
as Sore Toe
Lynne Overman
as Regret
Sam Hardy
as Bennie the Gouge
John Kelly
as Canvas Back
Frank McGlynn Sr.
as Doc Chesley
John Sheehan
as Sun Rise
Frank Conroy
as Dr. Ingalls
Ernie Adams
as Bettor (uncredited)
