Struggling immigrant Jacob Goodman and his beloved daughter, Irma, are near starvation. One rainy day, he spends his remaining cash on umbrellas and sells them for a handsome profit to people standing in line outside the theaters. Many hardships and a decade later, Jacob becomes a wealthy umbrella merchant and Irma is poised to marry Joseph Applebaum, a fine young man from a respectable family. But when Joseph is arrested on a charge of embezzlement, Jacob must risk all he has battling to prove the boy's innocence and allow his daughter a chance for happiness.
Alexander Carr, who stars in and co-wrote April Fool, was a Broadway veteran known for his portrayals of lower East Side Jewish immigrants and is best remembered for The Death Kiss (1932) and Christmas In July (1940). He was an accomplished writer best known for April Fool (1926) and The End Of The World (1929). Snitz Edwards, who portrays Mr. Applebaum, is one of the most recognizable faces of silent films, appearing in over 60 productions, most notably numerous Buster Keaton comedies.