Larson E. Whipsnade, the unscrupulous owner of a rundown circus, schemes to marry off his daughter Victoria to the dull but wealthy Roger Bel-Goodie. But when Victoria falls for The Great Edgar, a penniless ventriloquist, Whipsnade sends Edgar and his dummy off in a hot-air balloon. Crashing Bel-Goodie's high-society reception with eccentric charm, Whipsnade proves his meddling is far from over.