Richard Finchley holds a Christmas house party at his home in order to find his cousin, the Earl of Abingdon, a wife. When Freddie and Lucy Halston discover that their father has made a bid for the earl and that they will therefore be attending the party, they hatch a scheme to behave as deplorably as they can, so as to escape unwanted marital ties to a stranger. However, it is Richard who unexpectedly falls for Freddie's unconventional charms, and who she must therefore discourage...