A ring of counterfeiters is flooding the country with phony money, and suspicion falls upon a wealthy playboy who may--or may not--have amnesia.

Alice Thursday brings her grandson David back to England from a family visit to the New World. On the way from the airport to the country house near London, the headstrong boy causes chauffeur Bates and butler Hunter some grief. He takes advantage of a car breakdown to go trout fishing and climbs into the stately Rolls Royce with his pants dripping wet. The millionaire heiress also experiences trouble at home and at work upon her return. The housekeeper complains that Alice has hired Mary, a girl with a criminal record.

At the center of the story are building contractor Patschold, who juggles advances and loans, and his shrewd chauffeur Göhrke. Patschold's wife almost suffers a nervous breakdown and his mistress makes ever greater demands.

A teenage girl is stranded by a storm on a small North Sea island, where she and a young teacher fall in love and conceive a child. Back on the mainland, with help from her aunt and a family doctor, she gives birth and returns to finish school, unaware that the teacher has become her colleague and is now engaged. Faced with social stigma and personal conflict, she conceals her motherhood until the truth emerges, leading both to acknowledge their relationship and their child.