Jerry Kingsley (Frederic March) is a wealthy garment manufacturer in New York. He is in his indeterminate 60s and has been a widower for quite a while. Betty Preisser (Kim Novak) is the firm's young receptionist who is just getting over a divorce. She was deeply hurt by her flighty first husband and finds Jerry a comfort in many ways. He, on the other hand, has been resisting a second marriage with a woman near his age because he is still sprightly and doesn't want to spend the rest of his life watching TV and planning cruises. The two of them find their needs fulfilled in each other and are soon in love. There's no question that Betty truly cares for Jerry and not just his money. There is much to like in the Jerry's character: he is thoughtful, charming and the affair has a positive effect on his outlook and health. Everybody, but everybody, is against this affair, but regardless of what others are saying, Betty and Jerry try to view age as just a number.