 As a frail young girl is outside begging in the snow, she collapses from weakness and from the cold. A well-dressed gentleman passes by and sees her, and he leaves a valuable gold coin in the shoe that she was using to collect alms. Meanwhile, at a gambling house nearby, another man is having a bad night and is becoming desperate. He walks outside, and he notices the girl and the coin. He could easily take it, but he is torn between his need and his pity for the girl.