At the Empire State Building, Joe Riley bids farewell to New York City as he prepares to head West to his ranch in Arizona. He dreams of his twenty acres of beautiful farmland called "Shady Acres" for which he has saved for six years. Hitchhiking across the country, Joe runs into a friendly drifter named Tony Casselli at a truck stop just outside of Cleveland. Tony tells Joe that the only way to travel cross-country is by rail, though Joe prefers to rely on his thumb. Joe jumps into a truck on its way to Cincinnati, but is discovered by the truck driver. Also discovered is another stowaway, Anita Santos, disguised as a boy. Anita follows Joe as he jumps onto a train, only to find Tony in the same car. Anita joins them, much to Joe's chagrin and Tony's pleasure. Forced off the train, the three discover a hobo camp. Leaving Anita in the woods for her safety, Tony and Joe go into the camp where they find Tony's old friend and traveling companion, The Professor. Hunk, the leader of the camp, watches Tony take Anita food, and later attacks her, with Joe coming to her defense. After The Professor knocks Hunk unconscious with a walking stick, the four hightail it out of the camp. Traveling cross country, Anita tells how her parents died during the Spanish Civil War and that she came to America to find her uncle in California. Although Joe constantly wants to leave Anita behind, the other two men become attached to her. When Tony receives a gunshot wound stealing food, The Professor pawns his prized pocket watch to get him medical attention. Although the three are told that Tony is fine and Tony, himself, promises to join them at Joe's ranch, Tony actually has lost his leg due to septic poisoning. After buying Anita new clothes, the three go into a bar where The Professor regains the acquaintance of old love Mamie. When the local sheriff comes in to question them on the origin of Tony's wound, he arrests Anita as an illegal alien and Joe for aiding and abetting her. The Professor convinces the sheriff to drop all charges on the condition that the two marry, which they do in an elaborate Russian Orthodox ceremony. When Joe tells Anita that he wants a divorce, however, she slips out of town during the reception. The next day, Joe tells The Professor and Mamie what has happened. The Professor has decided to stay behind with Mamie and run the bar, so Joe heads for Arizona alone. Finally there, Joe discovers his dream ranch is a nightmare, a broken down farm with nothing but bare ground. Anita arrives with supplies for the house, only to be met by a hostile Joe. Forced inside by a sudden rainstorm, Anita tells Joe how wonderful the ranch can be with a lot of hard work. As she prepares to leave, Joe stops her, telling her that they will build the ranch together.