Laughter in Paradise

The executor informs the four surviving relatives that Henry Russell has left them £50,000 each if they perform tasks contrary to their natures. The tasks are designed to test character: getting arrested, getting a job, marriage to the first single woman spoken to, and pulling off a mock bank robbery. The news sets the entire challenge in motion, with each heir plotting their first move.

Deniston Russell undertakes his week-long mission to get arrested and jailed for exactly 28 days, leveraging his military precision and crime-writing persona. He attempts several legal-looking stunts, hoping someone will detain him, but his lawful habits keep him out of trouble time and again. The pressure mounts as the deadline approaches.

Frustrated by repeated failures, Deniston resorts to a reckless plan that culminates in smashing a shop window and assaulting a policeman. This dramatic act finally earns him arrest and imprisonment for the required period. The scandal costs him his engagement, Elizabeth, and lands him before a magistrate, altering his relationships.

Deniston's arrest disrupts his engagement as Elizabeth ends their engagement under the magistrate's gaze. Meanwhile, his secretary Sheila confesses her love and pledges to stand by him, offering emotional support despite the scandal. The personal costs of the task become clear.

Agnes Russell secures a job as a domestic servant with the irascible Gordon Webb, hoping to prove herself and survive the month as required by the will. She endures Gordon's cantankerous moods while trying to adapt to a middle-class household. This marks the start of a complex power game between employer and employee.

Gordon abruptly dismisses Agnes, but she pleads to stay for a month, even offering to pay £1,000. He relents briefly, then toys with her, savoring the torment. To monitor her, he hires a private detective, Roger Godfrey, whose own motives complicate the household.

Roger Godfrey, the detective, falls in love with Gordon Webb's daughter Joan, who resists marriage while her father pulls the strings. Agnes manages the situation, convincing Joan to pursue happiness despite her father's objection. The seeds of romance complicate the household further.

Agnes persuades Joan to seize the opportunity for happiness with Roger, nudging her toward a life beyond Gordon's control. Gordon responds by firing Agnes again, and then invites her to dinner to maintain control and torment her further. The domestic game intensifies.

Simon Russell, the con man, speaks to Frieda, the club cigarette girl, as his initial target for his bet to marry the first single woman he speaks to. However, true to his unscrupulous nature, he breaks his promise and moves on. The pursuit expands as other candidates enter the picture.

Simon marries Lucille, an attractive but suspiciously available woman who is actually the penniless niece of his butler. He confides in his butler, who may be keeping his own schemes, and discovers the underlying web of deception. This marriage exposes Simon's mercenary approach to the task.

Herbert Russell musters the nerve to commit a bank hold-up using a mask and toy pistol, aiming to obtain the bank keys for two minutes. He inadvertently thwarts a real robbery instead, becoming a media hero and earning praise for his nerve. The press brands him a hero even before the executor reveals the true state of the estate.

As Herbert basks in the sudden fame, Susan, a fellow bank employee, is proud of his act and becomes his partner, sharing in the public adoration. Their relationship grows amid the headlines and the quiet fear of the will's true test. The romance complicates the other heirs' feelings about the tasks.

The executor gathers the four heirs to reveal that there is no money left in the estate; Henry's plan was his final practical joke. Agnes, Deniston, and Herbert laugh with relief, while Simon stays angry at first but relaxes when he sees his wife Lucille waiting with champagne, and he finally also joins in the merriment.