London, 1913. Fourteen-year-old Billy Bean is a thief. He's also a talented street performer, and he's picked up by Fred Karno's music hall company, that features Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin leaves Karno for the movies, and Billy is sent to America to replace him. Billy also wants to work in movies, and soon he gets his lucky break. When his luck runs out and the movie career goes badly, he finds himself back on the streets, with nothing but his childhood skills and a cheeky grin to keep him from starvation.