In this Woody Allen film, a city is searching for the person responsible for a series of strangulation murders, and they enlist the help of cowardly clerk Kleinman (Woody Allen). As he helps in the search, he runs across circus performer Irmy (Mia Farrow) and befriends her. However, circumstantial evidence leads the townsfolks to suspect that Kleinman is the killer, and he must struggle to avoid capture.