Collier Laing, Robert Montgomery, a confirmed bachelor who still lives with his mother, a high-powered attorney, is unexpectedly called up by the United States Army Reserve with the rank of captain. His assignment comes from a superior officer, Colonel Head, Roland Winters, who explains the case: a jewel heist has occurred, and one of the gems has been spotted in a perfume ad worn by Marita Connell, Ann Blyth, a young actress known for her rising star quality. There’s a quiet suspicion that the jewel thief, a man who adores Marita, handed her the stolen piece without revealing how he acquired it. The order is clear enough, but its method is anything but ordinary: Collier must insinuate himself into Marita’s orbit and romance her, forging a fake connection to uncover the truth.
To carry out the ruse, Collier poses as a survey taker and makes his first approach at a glamorous Beverly Hills hotel, where Marita is instantly charmed by the attention and the game. As the two characters lock eyes and banter begins, Marita’s attraction grows swiftly and boldly. Her affections pull her toward Collier so strongly that she insists on meeting his mother, crashing Mrs. Laing’s party of distinguished guests with unabashed enthusiasm and surprising fashion, and even offending some of the guests with the scent of her bold perfume. Mrs. Laing, a formidable figure in her own right, becomes both a test and a temptation for Collier as he navigates appearances and loyalties.
What follows is a whirlwind clash of deception and desire. Marita, swept up in a new romance, convinces Collier to drive her to Las Vegas to seal a marriage, hoping for a swift, decisive happily-ever-after. Collier tries to stall, weighing the consequences of a pretend romance, while time grows tight and the jewel thief’s presence looms closer. He finally blurts out that he has no intention of marrying Marita, a confession that splinters the delicate arrangement just as danger bursts into the scene. The thief crashes into their plan, and Collier must fend him off; the threat doesn’t end there—Marita’s chauffeur escalates the confrontation, and a passing truck driver, Ray Teal, adds another moment of chaos to an already tense situation.
Amid the chaos, Marita’s heart becomes a barometer for Collier’s own feelings. Heartbreak and anger collide with a slow, dawning realization that the man she’s been wooing may actually be the one she’s meant to love. As danger recedes and emotions come into sharper focus, the couple faces the truth that love has unexpectedly blossomed from a carefully constructed scheme. The story weaves humor, nerves, and romance into a portrait of two people who stumble through deception toward something genuine, with the prospect of a future that neither anticipated but both begin to crave.
