An outwardly weak-kneed, henpecked member of Philadelphia's elite, Sumner Scofield II is constantly reminded by his wife that he must look down his bank-roll at anyone not in the same financial and social bracket as the Scofields. When their son Will, home from Yale for Spring vacation declares he wants to quit college and marry a vocalist in a band, Agnes Scofield tells Sumner the family must "buy the girl off". Sumner's encounter with the young singer takes an unusual turn which allows him to assert himself for once in his life.