Nancy Goes to Rio

Frances Elliott hosts a party after the closing night of a Broadway play. The guest list includes her eccentric father Gregory, her seventeen-year-old daughter Nancy, and Ricardo Domingos, who is considering Frances for his next play. The atmosphere blends celebration with hints of professional tension about the upcoming casting.

Frances pursues the part in Ricardo's play, hoping to star. Ricardo privately tells Frances' producer that she may not be right for the role and that he had a younger actress in mind. Later, when he meets Nancy, he instantly knows she could be the perfect choice.

The next day Frances departs for Rio de Janeiro to study and prepare. Gregory accompanies her, while Nancy heads to Connecticut for a small stock company engagement. Ricardo observes Nancy's acting and offers her the role he promised Frances.

Nancy accepts Ricardo's offer, excited for her opportunity. She does not know that Ricardo has already promised the part to Frances. The news sets the stage for a tense cross-generational casting conflict.

Seeking the quiet to study her lines, Nancy follows her mother and her grandfather to Rio. The two women prepare for the same coveted role, heightening the looming competition between them. The arrangement foreshadows the personal and professional clashes to come.

On board the ship to Rio, businessman Paul Berten overhears Nancy rehearsing and misreads the scene as a deserted wife and an expectant mother. He enlists his partner Marina Rodrigues to counsel the young actress, setting up a romantic misunderstanding to follow.

Nancy mistakes Paul's paternal concern for a marriage proposal and rejects it, bidding him farewell when the ship reaches Rio. The misinterpretation sows confusion about her personal life while she focuses on the acting opportunity. Paul remains perplexed by her reaction.

Back with Frances in Rio, Nancy overhears Frances rehearsing and realizes they are studying for the same part. Devastated, Nancy bows out of the role and tells Frances she will join a different production, without revealing she was set to star.

Nancy visits Paul at his office and tries to accept the marriage proposal she thinks he offered. Paul is perplexed by her behavior and sends her home to talk with her mother, but Nancy misreads him and believes they should discuss an impending marriage with Frances.

Marina follows Nancy to Frances's house and privately relays the supposed pregnancy. Frances, hearing the tale, misinterprets the situation and believes Nancy is pregnant by Paul, deepening the mother-daughter rift.

Frances demands a private meeting with Paul, and he reveals his romantic interest. Frances initially leaves in disgust, but Paul then informs Gregory that he had only just met Nancy on the boat. Gregory recognizes the ridiculous predicament and explains the truth to Frances.

Upon learning the truth about Paul, Frances changes her opinion and they begin a romance. She announces her engagement to Paul and withdraws from Ricardo's play, suggesting Nancy as her replacement.

The plan culminates in the Broadway opening in New York, with Nancy starring in the lead role Frances had vacated. The film closes on a happy note as the family unit supports Nancy's triumph and the couple's romance.