Joe McDoakes is passing a traffic light sign, when suddenly the signal seems broke. It's going up and down and up and down. On the crossroad McDoakes is only barely able to prevent an accident. A traffic agent approaches him and asks for his papers. But McDoakes hasn't got them with him and he must pay a fine of two dollars for passing a red light. But Joe McDoakes is a stubborn man. He wants to prove to the whole world that he is not guilty. Instead of paying the fine, he asks for a jury trial. That doesn't seem like a good thing to do however.