The story opens on board the ocean liner Atlantic, where Sam Marlowe falls instantly in love with Wilhelmina Bennett. Unknown to Sam, Wilhelmina has just broken off her engagement to his cousin, Eustace Hignett, because Eustace failed to show up at the church due to his mother stealing his trousers. Sam and Wilhelmina’s romantic voyage is complicated by Wilhelmina’s eccentric father, Rufus Bennett, and her dogged suitor, Bream Mortimer.
After a series of absurd mischances, including Sam diving into New York harbour after a floating handkerchief filled with money, the passengers arrive in England and reassemble at Windles, the Hampshire country house belonging to Sam's aunt, Adeline Hignett. Mrs. Hignett has reluctantly rented the estate to Rufus Bennett and Henry Mortimer, while insisting that the timid and mumps-stricken Eustace remain on the premises.
Life at Windles becomes a chaotic whirl of canine pursuits, medical hypochondria, and romantic misunderstandings. Bream Mortimer and Rufus Bennett quarrel continuously, while Jane Hubbard, a stalwart big-game huntress, falls in love with the ailing Eustace and nurses him back to health. The tensions reach a comical peak when Sam sneaks into the house to steal Wilhelmina's Pekinese dog as part of a hare-brained scheme to win her back.
Through a series of nocturnal disturbances involving secret hiding places, stray dogs, and unexpected midnight visitors, the various romantic plots unravel. Wilhelmina discovers the truth behind Sam's theatrical antics and realizes she has misjudged him. As the confusions clear, the romances are sorted out, leaving the household reconciled in true Wodehouse fashion.
