Fresh out of the convent, naive heiress Yolanda (Lucille Bremer) becomes an easy target for charming confidence man Johnny Riggs (Fred Astaire) and his sidekick, Victor Trout (Frank Morgan). Johnny manages to trick the devout Yolanda into believing that he is her guardian angel and -- once perched upon her shoulder -- he goes about the business of relieving her of her inheritance. But when Johnny begins to fall for his beautiful target, he struggles to choose between love and money.