A pretty young lawyer discovers that her father needs an expensive operation to save his life. She goes to a nearby city and takes out an ad offering to marry whoever will pay her $5000, the cost of the operation. She soon finds herself involved with a newspaperman looking for a story, a drunken playboy and a con artist and his girlfriend out to fleece the playboy.

Jack Mason of the Coast Guard Academy meets Mary at the graduation ball and falls in love with her, though the girl's mother finds wealthy Rex Cutting a more proper choice for her daughter. On a yachting cruise arranged by Mrs. Trumbull, Jack is not invited. Meanwhile, Mary suspects Rex of picking up contraband beyond the 12-mile limit and refuses his proposal of marriage, while Betty, her impish sister, drives Skippy to distraction in the galley, where he has installed an automatic kitchen that does most of his work. Jack smuggles himself aboard but is forcibly ejected at port by a coast guard, and Mrs. Trumbull discourages his attempt to elope with Mary; but on a subsequent cruise, he hides himself in a lifeboat with two aides. When the captain stops to take on a cargo of rum, Jack and his aides take over the vessel, and a battle ensues. The yacht is wrecked on an island, and Jack proves his heroism, while Rex reveals his true colors and is identified as a fugitive bootlegger.

Howard Crandall Jr., who comes from a wealthy family, has suffered a disfiguring facial injury during World War I, and at war's end stays in Paris rather than return home to his family and sweetheart Muriel looking the way he does. While in Paris he forms a secret society of men who are in a similar position. When he finally does decide to return home, his family and Muriel are at first shocked by his appearance, but they recover and try to make him feel comfortable and accepted. However, it's not before Howard begins to feel their actions are motivated more by pity than love, and when Arthur Wells, who was once Muriel's suitor, shows up one day and is greeted warmly and intimately by Muriel, Howard starts to think that his suspicions are justified.