During the Great Depression, a discarded fur coat lands on the head of stenographer Mary Smith (Jean Arthur), triggering a life-altering chain of events. Obscenely wealthy banker J. B. Ball (Edward Arnold), who threw away the coat, lets Mary keep it, leading everyone to assume she's his mistress. After being fired from her job, Mary is suddenly the toast of the town as merchants vie for her endorsement of their products, believing she has access to Ball's millions.