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Although this mystery-comedy came out mere weeks after John Barrymore portrayed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, it's not a spoof on Sherlock Holmes. Nevertheless, it's an amusing vehicle for Bert Lytell. The secret formula for the world's most powerful explosive has been stolen from the U.S. government. William Brown (Lytell), a clerk who aspires to be a detective, has just received his badge from some anonymous Midwestern agency (he paid all of 25 dollars for it), and manages to get himself embroiled in the intrigue. And he doesn't do too badly -- he actually gets his hands on the missing envelope, but then he's tricked by the thieves into giving it back to them. Instead of receiving his reward, he is ridiculed and his tin badge is soundly crushed. But all is not lost -- he remembers that the woman in possession of the envelope was wearing sandalwood perfume. He puts his olfactory senses to work, and after he's smelled just about everything he can find, he recovers the document again, gets a real detective badge, and wins his girl (Ora Carew).