Clarence struggles to get his prize pig eating before the big weigh-in — otherwise, he risks losing the Fattest Pig award to a hated rival. Meanwhile, Connie sets her sights on a better love match for Angela, her flighty niece.

Anxious to impress the wealthy Schoonmakers, Connie hires Baxter, a tightly wound personal secretary, to put a shine on Blandings (and Clarence). But a freshly fertilized rose bed and Freddie’s attempts to sell dog food to the guests make the visit anything but sophisticated.

Clarence just wanted someone to keep his gloomy niece Gertrude occupied. But suddenly, that “someone” is declaring his intentions. Meanwhile, Freddie is desperately trying to keep the news of his elopement from Connie.

Notoriously uptight Baxter is trying to weasel his way into permanent employment at Blandings, but Clarence has bigger problems. His grandson George is terrorizing the estate with an air rifle, and Freddie is being pursued by East End gangsters.

Clarence is desperate to avoid giving a speech at the annual Blandings fête (mainly because it requires wearing a top hat). When two cheeky schoolchildren urge him to assert himself, it unleashes Connie’s wrath.

Connie insists Clarence spruce himself up for a visit by the sophisticated Lady Daphne and her spoiled brat, Huxley. But when Daphne takes an unusual interest in Clarence (and his prize pig), Connie becomes suspicious.