Matthew Ibbetson is only interested in his family business, Ibbetson's Stomach Pills, and has no time for women or thoughts of marriage. His domineering mother sends him to France to investigate a slump in sales.

In Paris, well-known cabaret star Clementine is the unwitting participant in a publicity stunt. Her skirt is torn away by a passing car, as photographers snap shots of the event. Matthew, who happens to be nearby, covers her legs with his jacket.

Later, at a night club, the Comte de Sarliac, a penniless nobleman, borrows money from Matthew. He gives Matthew the impression that he is engaged to Clementine. Clementine, who sings at the club, later joins Matthew at his table and tells him that the Comte is not her fiancé, yet he challenges any man who looks at her to a duel. A romance begins between Matthew and Clementine.

Matthew returns to England. His sister notices that his attitude to work has changed. In Paris, the Comte continues to pester Clementine. She flies to England to visit Matthew. Matthew's mother, impressed by Clementine's pedigree, gives her a job at the family business.

The Comte, independently invited to England by Matthew's class-conscious mother, also arrives in England. Clementine is worried when she discovers this and engages in various subterfuges to keep her presence in England a secret.

The Comte eventually discovers the romance between Matthew and Clementine. He challenges him to a duel. Meanwhile, Matthew and Clementine have decided to get married.

Matthew eventually meets the Comte for the duel while friends and relatives look on. Clementine brings a policeman to stop the duel.

The duel begins, but the participants, shooting guns at each other, repeatedly miss their targets. The policeman's arrival brings the duel to an end.

Later, Clementine and Matthew celebrate their impending marriage. The Comte arrives - he has decided to marry Matthew's mother.