 Junior Donal, an ex-vaudevillian now teaching music at Knickerbocker University in New York, enlists to help of patroness Peggy Portefield to persuade Sergei Alexandrovich, the director of the Russian Ballet, to stage a friend s jazzy "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" ballet. While he may dream of sharing the pleasure of a small hotel with girlfriend Frankie Frayne, Junior becomes involved with the company s prima ballerina, Vera Barnova, and even takes over the male lead in "Slaughter". This so enrages Vera s lover and regular dancing partner that he hires two thugs to kill Junior while he is performing on stage.