Penelope Howard, an independent young heiress, refuses marriage to suitor Richard Treadwell until he proves his worth, prompting him to attempt various ventures. Their courtship becomes entangled with a series of incidents that include a distressed girl found on a park bench, an attempted suicide, labor unrest, a missing stenographer, an enigmatic stranger, and questions about a purchased gown. Guardianship complications and mistaken identities heighten tensions and misunderstandings. As investigations and personal reckonings proceed, disparate clues are brought together, mysteries are untangled, romantic strains are eased, and the principal characters reach reconciliations and clearer prospects for the future.