Alonzo is a circus performer, who uses his feet to throw knives since he appears to have no arms. In love with the circus owner's daughter, Alonzo kills the circus owner when he discovers he really does have arms. Nanon (the daughter) sees the murder but doesn't recognize Alonzo and develops a fear of men's arms. Malabar the strong man competes for Nanon's attention and, unbeknownst to Alonzo, helps her get over her fear of men's arms. Alonzo, fearing that if he revealed his secret to Nanon that she would recognize he was her father's killer since few men have an extra thumb, blackmailed a doctor into removing his arms. On his return from hospital, he finds that Malabar and Nanon are engaged, so he attempts to have Malabar killed in a circus accident. Does he succeed? You'll have to watch the movie.<br /><br />Tod Browning directed this tragic romantic thriller and it shows a style very much like that of his later film "Freaks". It is a relatively simple plot with a very linear progression that is carried by the wonderful performance of Lon Chaney. I have never seen a performance by the Man with 1000 faces that I did not like and this is no exception. This is a sad tale of unrequited love more than a horror movie and it is touching. Though one might not agree with Alonzo's attempts to kill Malabar, the viewer can at least sympathize with his motive after all that he has gone through to win Nanon's affection.<br /><br />Just like in "Freaks" Tod Browning has managed to create sympathetic characters, even when they are doing some not so nice deeds. And while I like that movie better, this one is definitely worth watching.