Johnny Aysgarth (Cary Grant) is a down on his luck lady's man and gambler. He meets Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine) on the train. They have a nonconventional romance. He crashes a family balls and meets her parents, General McLaidlaw (Cedric Hardwicke) and Mrs. McLaidlaw (May Whitty). The father does not approve of Aysgarth, who is known as a womanizer. They marry. Getting home from their honeymoon he starts to reveal his true self. He has bought a nice home and hired maids, with no means of support. He expects his wife's income to pay for everything. He is disappointed when father-in-law sends a couple chairs for a wedding present. He sells them to get money for the race track. He hits big at the races and buys them back. His good friend, Beaky (Nigel Bruce) visits and tells the Mrs what kind of person Aysgarth is. He faces the necessity of getting a job. Which he does but embezzles money. Father-in-laws dies, but nothing except the continued income goes to the daughter, and a portrait of the general. Aysgarth is in dire straits. She starts a real estate business with Beaky, but decides he isn't going to work due to bad soil so backs out. Beaky is to go to Paris to get out of the deal, but he dies while he is there. He had a chronic reaction to brandy and someone gave him a full glass. Lina worries this may have been her husband. Now she is worrying her husband may do her in next. Her husband has been asking questions about poisons. She makes arrangements to go to her mother's. Johnny drives her and the door flings open. Johnny reaches over to close the door, but she thinks he is tryig to push her out. Johnny gets the car stopped and wonders what is wrong. She discovers her husband was in Liverpool trying to resolve his debt without success. He was not in Paris. Consequently he thought of taking his own life was the next best option, not murdering his wife. They reconcile and head home together to face the music.
