Jimmie Shannon Buster Keaton is the junior partner at the brokerage Meekin and Shannon, a firm teetering on the edge of collapse. The twist of fate comes from a bequest in his grandfather’s will: he will inherit seven million dollars, but only if he is married by 7:00 p.m. on his 27th birthday—the very day this crisis lands on his desk. The clock is ticking, and the pressure is immense.
Shannon’s first instinct is to propose to his longtime sweetheart, Mary Jones Ruth Dwyer. Mary agrees with warmth and optimism, envisioning a future together, but the moment Jimmie explains why the marriage must happen that very day, her faith in the plan wavers and she breaks away in disappointment. The sudden shift is soft-swallowed by the weight of the impending ruin, and Jimmie feels the personal cost of the clock’s relentless advance.
Back at the country club, the mood shifts from romance to crisis management as Jimmie’s business partner, Billy Meekin T. Roy Barnes, pushes a harsher plan: if they must secure the inheritance, Jimmie should consider marrying one of several other women who could stand as the beneficiary of the fortune. Meekin’s pitch is coldly practical, a strategy designed to shield them from ruin—or worse. With the pressure mounting, Jimmie is sent to scout the dining room, then into the wider club, hoping to find a compatible bride among seven potential options. One by one, those women—and any chance of a quick, clean solution—slip away as rejections pile up. Even attempts to widen the search fail to yield a viable match, and the prospect of the entire plan seems to crumble before them.
Meanwhile, the human thread of Mary’s life pulls at the truth of love versus money. Mrs. Jones, Mary’s mother, Frances Raymond plays a pivotal role in the family dynamic, gently urging Mary to reconsider what she wants for her future. Her persuasion rekindles Mary’s inner sense of commitment, and Mary drafts a note to Jimmie, expressing willingness to marry him regardless of the fortune. A hired hand is dispatched to deliver the message, a small act with enormous consequences.
The stakes escalate when Meekin arranges a public stakeout of sorts: he has the predicament printed in a newspaper, publicly inviting would‑be brides to gather at the Broad Street Church at 5:00 p.m. The plan is audacious and humiliating, turning private desperation into a public spectacle. Veiled women descend on the church, each hoping to become the fortunate bride of the man who holds seven million dollars. In the chaos, Jimmie, who had fallen asleep in a pew, is surrounded by eager and anxious crowds, and the situation teeters on the edge of farce and disaster. The clergyman arrives, and in a moment of comic disbelief, declares the scene a practical joke, adding fuel to the frenzy. The scene explodes into a chase as the women pursue Jimmie, and in the scramble, he retrieves Mary’s note.
With the note in hand, Jimmie races to Mary’s home, pursued by a mob of determined brides. In the course of the chase, a mishap triggers an avalanche that scatters the crowd, buying precious seconds and shifting the momentum of the afternoon. The domestic drama intensifies as Jimmie finally reaches Mary’s doorstep, only to face the grim truth that Meekin’s timing may decide their fate.
At the house, Meekin shows Jimmie his watch, and the sense of countdown returns in stark relief: they are minutes too late. Mary’s resolve, however, remains steadfast; she still wishes to marry Jimmie, even if it risks the scandal and the fortune’s forfeiture. Yet Jimmie refuses to let her share what could be the family’s public disgrace. As he steps away, a final twist of timing reveals a crucial detail: the church clock, not Meekin’s watch, has the real time. It turns out Meekin’s watch was fast, and in a dramatic last‑moment turn, Jimmie and Mary wed just as the clock tolls the cutoff. The fear of ruin dissolves into a shared, hopeful future, anchored by love and a careful reading of time.
In the end, what begins as a financial crisis becomes a story about choices, trust, and the stubborn power of commitment. The bustling social world of the country club and the dramatic church setting frame a classic comedy of timing and fate, where a man’s fortune—and his future with Mary—hangs on a single, perfectly timed moment.
