Bill Ward wants to marry wealthy Angela Forbes and goes to the pier to meet her parents' cruise ship when it arrives. Bill's sister Dulcy goes along, but rather than greet the Forbeses, she becomes distracted by arriving passenger Gordon Daly.
Dulcy has a habit of doing the wrong thing. When she learns that Gordon has invented a new airplane motor and needs to raise capital, she invites him to meet Roger Forbes, father of her brother's fiancée. Then she makes a mistake during Gordon's presentation that causes the motor to spit oil in Mr. Forbes's face. He leaves in a huff.
Bill and Angela decide to elope. Dulcy introduces them to a man she's just met, Schuyler Van Dyke, who offers to fund Gordon's enterprise. All is well until Dulcy learns that Van Dyke is actually a man named Patterson who suffers from delusions of grandeur. Luckily for all, Roger Forbes returns and outbids Van Dyke for the invention, making Dulcy an accidental hero.
