After World War I, Ella Finch Virginia Grey and her sister Kate Goff Dona Drake each inherit $30,000, a windfall that sparks big dreams and bigger plans. Ella, weary of life in South Bend, Indiana, grows determined to find Kate a rich husband in New York City, while Kate’s relationship with Willis Gilbey, her butcher/boyfriend, nudges Ella toward an eastward escapade. Ella’s quick-witted husband, Ernie Finch Henry Morgan, is skeptical but ultimately agrees to tag along, unwilling to let his wife chase a fortune alone.
In bustling New York, the sisters secure a spacious apartment and quickly cross paths with their wealthy neighbor, Lucius Trumbull Hugh Herbert, who cheerfully invites them over for drinks. Ella is delighted by the glittering panorama of high society, while Kate remains wary—Trumbull is nearing retirement, and the allure of a secure, easy life tempts neither of them to slow down. The situation grows more complex when they meet Herbert Daley Rudy Vallee, a Southern gentleman and racehorse owner, and his dashing jockey, Sid Mercer Leo Gorcey. Sid instantly takes a shine to Kate, and for a moment it seems the trio has found a new rhythm in the city’s fast lane.
Daley’s world of racing and prestige feels within reach for Kate, and soon she becomes engaged to him. Yet Sid’s feelings sour as he witnesses the shifting alliances: he suspects Daley of steering the races, and he begins plotting his own revenge. Sid confides in Ernie that there’s a plan to fix the next day’s race, a plan Sid intends to subvert by letting a longshot win. The gambit appears to work until the momentum shifts again, and Daley must run for his life as his fellow conspirators close in. Amid the racing turmoil, Ernie discovers not all is lost—he had already profited from bets on the longshot, a fortune that now complicates the family’s fortunes when he is abruptly fired by his employer, A. J. Gluskoter.
With poverty closing in, the Finches relocate to a seedy theatrical hotel where they meet Jimmy Ralston Bill Goodwin, a Ziegfeld Follies star who longs to write, produce, and perform in a serious play. His bold ambition reignites Ella and Kate’s appetite for risk, and they invest what remains of their inheritance in his project. The gamble pays little at first—the premiere is greeted by jeers from the audience and critics brand it a flop, a crushing stumble for everyone involved. Ernie, however, remains outwardly calm, as he has kept some winnings from the earlier race, and is initially unfazed by the collapse of the show.
Then a turn of fortune arrives when Ella reveals she has not only found Ernie’s stash but invested it as well, tipping the scales back toward possibility. In a second swing of luck, Gluskoter reappears with a change of heart and offers Ernie his old job back, signaling a potential reconciliation of ambitions and fortunes. The chaos of New York gives way to a renewed sense of possibility, and the family ultimately decides to return to South Bend, wiser from the experience and richer in the lessons learned about chance, loyalty, and what truly counts.
