To the horror of his family, eccentric businessman Cedric Ames, influenced by his new assistant Joe Cork, buys a dress shop for Minnie Hawkins, a former candy dipper and current gold digger. Cedric's nephew, Donald Ames, 3rd, the real head of the business, steps in to straighten out the mess. Colleen Reilly has been keeping the books at the dress shop and at first she is upset that Donald wants to close it down, especially when newspaper headlines about the purchase draw curious women into the shop. Colleen stages an elaborate fashion show to stimulate business and even designs some of the dresses herself. She begs Donald to keep the shop open, convinced that she can show a profit shortly. When Donald asks her to dinner to discuss plans, she agrees, although she has to tell him that she is engaged to Joe. Abandoned, Joe asks Minnie to dinner. The two hatch a plan to get Cedric to adopt Minnie, after which Joe will marry her. Cedric's wife Alicia is horrified by this plan and forces Donald to close the shop. Meanwhile, Donald has fallen in love with Colleen and she with him. Minnie and Joe are fired, and against Donald's orders, Colleen is fired also. Colleen mistakenly thinks that Donald has been toying with her, so when he phones to ask her to marry him, she hangs up. Brokenhearted, she decides to accept an offer to open a dress shop on board an ocean liner. The ship turns out to be the very one on which Donald is accompanying Cedric and Alicia. Donald and Colleen make up, he proposes, and Colleen accepts.