Arriving at the dilapidated old Prouty mansion, Graham Smith meets the poor, eccentric Proutys, who lost their money after the death of the head of the family, author Edgar Allan Prouty. Graham, who represents a manufacturing company that wishes to buy land for a factory, arranges to board with the Proutys: Allan, whose hobby is biology; Uncle Andy, who refuses to admit he is nearly deaf; Portia, the only sensible Prouty; and their poetry-writing mother. Graham and Portia are soon in love. Although the family needs money, Portia refuses an offer of $500 from Ronald Dawson, the executor of her father's estate, for the apparently worthless copyrights to the forty novels that Edgar wrote. Lucy, Portia's sister, is loved by Bob Miller, but she believes that he is too poor and prefers to mingle with society, especially the millionaire Vandergriffs. One day, Lucy informs her mother that the Vandergriffs and their friend, Lord Michael, with whom Lucy is infatuated, are coming to dinner. Eager to make a good impression, the family sets out to prepare an elaborate meal. In the midst of their preparations, Ronald tells Portia that payment on the trust deed is due and he is about to buy Edgar's copyrights when Graham learns that the books are to be republished and are now worth a lot of money. At first, the dinner appears to be headed for disaster when Ronald and Edgar, Jr., a former Marine, quarrel. Edgar wins the ensuing fight, however, and when Vandergriff realizes that Edgar was a prize fighter in the Philippines, he decides to sponsor him in the ring. Mrs. Vandergriff is impressed by Mrs. Prouty's poetry and invites her to read it at a special luncheon. Various members of the Prouty family make friends with the Vandergriffs and Lucy finally admits that she loves Bob. Uncle Andy then reveals that Graham is the owner of the manufacturing company and intends to buy the Prouty house for his future in-laws.