Wandering the city streets, the Little Tramp happens upon a blind flower girl who mistakes him for a wealthy gentleman, and manages to save and befriend a drunken millionaire who is trying to drown himself in the river.

A world of disenchanted bourgeoisie, where social structure and class are misconceived and questioned at every turn, City Lights has gone down in history as not only one of Chaplin's best films but one of the best ever committed to celluloid.