Wayne Carter Lowell Sherman is a New York bachelor and self-styled playboy who treats marriage as a nuisance to be dodged, moving through a string of casual affairs while paying little heed to the marital status of his partners. Yet there are a few women he tries to avoid altogether, including the married Agatha Carraway Mae Murray, who remains a persistent distraction in his social orbit.
Helene Andrews [Irene Dunne] and her younger sister Lita Andrews [Claudia Dell] arrive in the big city chasing fame and fortune. Helene is sensible and cautious, while Lita tends to be impulsive and hopeful that a wealthy sponsor is watching. When Lita believes she’s caught a millionaire’s eye, Helene hurries to intervene and discovers that Lita’s attention has been drawn not to Carter himself but to Carter’s loyal butler Rollins Charles Coleman during a dinner at his apartment. Carter is quickly drawn to the earnest, practical Helene, and when he learns she needs work, he offers her a job in his office as an executive secretary. She hesitates at first but accepts to support herself, and the two grow closer, their growing attraction giving Carter a new sense of purpose beyond his usual liaisons.
The relationship faces a test when Carter invites Helene to his apartment under the pretext of work, only for the flirtatious Agatha to appear, followed by her husband. A tense scene unfolds as Agatha hides in a bedroom and a discussion about marriage ensues, leaving Helene unsettled and eventually resigning. Carter, convinced of Helene’s sincerity, pursues her with renewed insistence, hoping to prove that his feelings are real. Helene remains wary, even as their connection deepens, and she agrees to meet him again at his place. Yet the situation is complicated once more when Agatha arrives, and the husband returns, this time armed and threatening Carter. Helene, who has been with Agatha in the bedroom, steps out and swears that she is the only woman there, mollifying the danger and allowing Carter to breathe a sigh of relief. The incident leaves Helene shaken and wary of the complications that come with Carter’s world.
After this unsettling episode, Helene’s doubts persist, and Carter fears he has lost her. A domino effect follows when Lita runs off to live with the musical producer Lee Graham Norman Kerry, a pairing Carter had previously arranged in hopes of charming Helene. Helene is consumed by worry for her sister and begs Carter to locate them. He does, successfully reuniting the sisters, and through that act of steadfast pursuit, Helene comes to see the sincerity behind Carter’s feelings. In the end, she accepts his proposal and the couple moves toward a future together, with Helene recognizing that Carter’s persistence and genuine care surpass his former reputation as a carefree libertine.
