John, aka Lord Teylesmore (Ralph Forbes), thinks he's found a way to get popular London stage actress Elsie Hilary (Ruth Chatterton) to marry him after she's turned down his daily proposals for a year he'll announce their engagement in all the papers! Shocked and dismayed, John's staid, blue-blood family attempts to get Elsie to break off the engagement with a $5,000 bribe. Infuriated, she becomes determined to wed the young aristocrat. An emergency family council is called at the Teylesmore country estate, with John's favorite cousin, Edward (Basil Rathbone) who's used to his family's disapproval thanks to a scandal of his own arguing for Elsie's acceptance. Convinced she will soon chafe against the confines of the ruling class, the family welcomes Elsie, at least on a temporary basis. She wins the clan over, but soon finds her heart wanting another.