15th century poet, François Villon (John Barrymore), in his lifetime the most renowned poet in France, is also a prankster, an occasional criminal, and an ardent patriot.

When an escaped circus gorilla appears to have gone on a murderous rampage, a threatened attorney calls on the detective trio of Garrity, Harrigan and Mullivan to act as bodyguards. In short order, we discover that there is more to the attorney than meets the eye, and the ape may be innocent after all. When a pretty young heiress faces peril, it’s up to our heroic trio to save the day.