Thrill of a Romance

Cynthia Glenn, a swimming instructor in Los Angeles, catches the eye of Bob Delbar during a diving demonstration. He sends her flowers and they begin courting. After about a month of dating, they marry and start their life together.

During their Monte Belva honeymoon, Cynthia and Bob encounter opera singer Nils Knudsen and Major Thomas Milvaine. A wealthy colleague, Bancroft, pressures Bob to travel to Washington, D.C. to close a deal, unsettling Cynthia as she watches him go.

The next day at the hotel pool, Bancroft's daughter Maude speculates about Milvaine's true identity. Cynthia encounters Major Milvaine, who cannot swim, and she volunteers to teach him. Their interaction begins a closer connection between them.

For the remainder of the week, Cynthia and Major Milvaine accompany each other to dinners and other hotel activities, including swimming. Their companionship deepens as they share moments around the resort. The dynamic foreshadows a complicated triangle with Bob back home.

On the last day of their stay, Cynthia receives a telegram from Bob saying he cannot return for another week. Tommy realizes his feelings and confesses his love, promising to stay for another week. Cynthia's marital status complicates the moment.

That night, Cynthia reiterates that she is a married woman and will not let Tommy leap the hedge between their balconies for an affair. She calls Bob and begs him to return, but his plans cannot be altered. The tension between duty and desire intensifies.

The next morning, Bob cannot locate his wife at the hotel. Tommy and Cynthia set off after her on the Sunset Trail, but they become lost together. They admit they love each other and decide never to see one another again, then spend the night in the woods.

When they return, Bob cannot find his wife and confronts Tommy and Cynthia's absence. He becomes enraged and seeks an annulment, only to discover that he was never legally divorced from his previous wife. The revelation complicates everyone's choices.

Tommy leaves to become an instructor at Darwin Field, while Cynthia returns to her aunt and uncle in Los Angeles. The separation underscores the unresolved love triangle.

Nils Knudsen phones Tommy, and the two travel to Cynthia's house late at night to serenade her. Tommy lip-syncs Knudsen's voice to a love song, and Cynthia rushes outside to kiss him as Knudsen continues singing.

Cynthia and Tommy share a kiss, while Nils Knudsen keeps singing in the background. The film closes with the sequence suggesting romance is possible, but it leaves the future of their marriage unresolved.

Throughout the late-night serenade, Cynthia's aunt Nona and uncle Hobart watch with bemused expressions, adding a light, domestic counterpoint to the drama. Their reactions underline the surreal blend of romance and comedy in the story.