Steve Bennett, [Bob Hope], a stockbroker in Miami, has just accepted a position working for T.T. Ralston, [Edward Arnold]. He becomes entangled in a pushy scheme when Gwen Saunders, [Paulette Goddard], Ralston’s beautiful niece, asks him to invest $10,000 that she needs doubled within 24 hours. Ralston has promised Gwen that if she can raise $20,000, he will double it, but he has been secretly working behind her back to keep her from even raising the initial sum.
A high-stakes test soon follows: Ralston and his partner Dick Donnelly, along with Gwen’s boyfriend Tom Van Dusen, [Leif Erickson], bet Steve that he cannot stay completely honest for an entire day. Steve agrees to the bet and to the держ that the $10,000 he received from Gwen will be the stake. One key rule governs the wager: no one may reveal the bet to an outsider, and the bet cannot be canceled. What follows is a meticulous, almost clinical twenty-four hours during which Steve is watched while entertaining guests and clients aboard Ralston’s yacht.
As the day unfolds, Steve’s unwavering honesty begins to upset the social balance of the yacht’s atmosphere. When he speaks plainly about the stock pitches and the world of profit-and-loss, he inadvertently offends several people, exposing the tensions behind the smooth veneer of Ralston’s operation. The yacht scene becomes a floating stage for awkward truths and unintended consequences, marked by crisp conversations, shifting loyalties, and a sense that truth, in this environment, can be both empowering and costly.
The evening introduces Linda Graham, an exotic dancer who enters the yacht seeking backing for her act. Linda, played by [Helen Vinson], chats with Steve and shares details about her show, drawing the attention of Mrs. Ralston and another well-dressed guest who overhear the conversation and wrongly conclude that Linda is Steve’s wife. This misunderstanding adds a layer of social pressure to Steve’s already delicate position, complicating the moral stakes of the bet.
As the night deepens, the trio of men who are watching Steve take drastic measures: they steal his clothes to prevent him from leaving the ship. In a bold turn, Steve borrows a dress from Linda and, in disguise, slips into Gwen’s room at her invitation. There, he clarifies that he is not married to Linda and that his feelings are genuine—he tells Gwen that he is in love with her.
The following day, Steve faces a wall of scrutiny from every direction. Gwen discovers his presence in Linda’s room during the night, Madison-style whispers ripple through the women aboard, and Tom’s jealousy flares as he worries about Gwen. To complicate matters further, Linda asserts to others that she is indeed married to Steve and that they have a child together, a fabrication she maintains in cahoots with Dick to intensify Steve’s difficulties.
As the twenty-four hours draw toward their end, a new figure arrives: Mr. Bishop, the head of the charity organization to which Gwen intends to donate the future $40,000. The presence of Mr. Bishop intensifies the pressure on Gwen to secure a legitimate arrangement for the money, while she uses the countdown of the clock to bide time and shield Steve just long enough to win the bet.
In a moment of calculated misdirection, the clocks aboard the yacht have been advanced by the conspirators, and when they strike four, Steve appears ready to lie to Mr. Bishop about the funds. The conspirators celebrate their supposed victory, believing they have forced Steve into a dishonest pledge for twenty-four hours. Yet an observant valet discovers the deception and resets the clock to true time, changing the outcome entirely. Steve ends up winning the bet by proving he had never truly lied for the full twenty-four hours.
In the final moments, Steve explains to everyone that his wager was not merely about deception, but about proving that his integrity and honesty could endure the test. The revelation restores his honor, and Gwen—a little drawn to this resilient truthfulness—grants him a kiss, signaling the beginning of a potential trust beyond the bluff and the bet.
Overall, the story unfolds as a social comedy wrapped in a moral experiment, using the glamorous yacht setting to explore honesty, appearances, romance, and the delicate balance between truth and tact. The film keeps a light, sly tone while tracking how a simple test of candor can upend relationships, challenge egos, and ultimately honor the commitments that lie beneath the surface of flirtation, wealth, and ambition.
