 Jimmy Barnes (Francis Lederer) arrives from Europe to be educated by his multi-millionaire uncle, Edward J. Barnes (J.C. Nugent) and in five years the extravagant escapes of Jimmy, now a lawyer, are the talk of San Francisco. Linda Gray (Madeleine Carroll) is a mouse-like secretary to the elder Barnes who has fallen in love with Jimmy, but he favors actress Constance "Connie" Marlowe (Grace Bradley). Mr. Barnes dies and leaves everything to Linda but he has urged his partner, Alexander Duncan (Charles Waldron), to plan things so that Jimmy and Linda will get married. Coached by Duncan, Linda accepts the inheritance and announces that she is departing for New York on a wild spending spree. He tells Jimmy that the will can be broken but only after many months and he suggests that Jimmy follow Linda and curb her spending or there won t be any money left. In New York, Linda hires Jimmy as her private secretary. Connie also arrives in New York, as does the ingenious Baron Rene de Montigny (Mischa Auer) with the intention of marrying the wealthy Miss Gray. Linda keeps Jimmy so busy he can t see Connie, while she, to make Jimmy jealous, starts dating Rene. When Rene proposes, she tells him she has no money and he says he couldn t marry a poor girl but will coach her into how to catch Jimmy. The latter, now jealous, rushes to Linda s apartment and attacks Rene who, being the amateur prize fighter champion of France, knocks him out.