At the turn of the 20th century, new bride Emily Hefferen (Celeste Holm) learns that her good-hearted but hapless banker husband, Jim (Dan Dailey), has lost all his money in bad investments. The ever-pragmatic Emily takes in another pair of newlyweds as boarders; over the years as Jim's various moneymaking schemes fail, Emily turns their home into the local hotel so their growing family can survive. But when the hotel is foreclosed upon, Emily threatens to end the marriage once and for all.