William Congreve’s celebrated restoration comedy follows the intricate romantic maneuvers of Mirabell and Millamant. Mirabell has previously feigned affection for Lady Wishfort, Millamant’s wealthy aunt, to cover his true love for her niece. However, the scheme is uncovered, leading Lady Wishfort to despise Mirabell and threaten to disinherit Millamant if she marries him without approval.
To reclaim his fortunes and win Millamant, Mirabell concocts an elaborate plot. He has his servant, Waitwell, disguise himself as a fictitious wealthy uncle named Sir Rowland and court Lady Wishfort. The goal is to trap the gullible old lady into a compromised contract, forcing her to surrender half of Millamant's fortune and consent to the marriage under the threat of exposure.
Meanwhile, subplots unfold involving the villainous Fainall and his secret mistress, Mrs. Marwood. Fainall is married to Lady Wishfort’s daughter, Arabella, and plots to seize his wife’s entire fortune through blackmail, aided by Marwood. Marwood discovers Mirabell’s scheme with Waitwell and exposes the imposture to Lady Wishfort just as the false Sir Rowland is winning her over.
As the deception collapses, Fainall confronts Lady Wishfort with demands to control her estate and seize the remainder of Millamant’s fortune. He threatens financial ruin and public scandal unless they comply with his harsh terms.
Just as Fainall appears victorious, Mirabell produces a trump card: a prior deed of trust in which Arabella legally transferred her estate to Mirabell before her marriage to Fainall, protecting her assets from her greedy husband's control. Defeated and exposed in his own plot with Marwood, Fainall storms out.
With the danger averted and the blackmailers thwarted, Lady Wishfort grants her consent to the union. Mirabell and Millamant finally agree to marry after a famous exchange of witty preconditions that promise a marriage built on mutual respect and independence rather than traditional subservience.
