This synopsis gives further details of the plot but not how it ends. Of course, reading this may give you some clues. Read on at your own risk.
American millionairess Mrs Spottsworth has stopped for a rest on her way to Rowcester Abbey which she might buy. Who should walk into the pub but Captain Biggar, the great white hunter that she last saw in Nairobi. The Captain, still in love with Mrs S. but unable to act for fear of appearing to be a fortune-hunter, tells of his chase for the bookie that welshed on a bet.
Unknown to the Captain, the bookie is really Lord Rowcester (Bill to his friends) who is trying to raise funds for the upkeep of his home, Rowcester Abbey, with the help of Jeeves as his clerk. But Bill is no cad; he intends to pay his debt when he can. As there a few jobs to which he is suited and he is already broke, this could take some time.
Fortunately, Bill's sister Monica is the one who interested Mrs S in the Abbey. But the Abbey is in poor condition and Monica's husband, Rory, has an amazing knack of saying the wrong thing. The sale is by no means a foregone conclusion. Nor are matters helped by Bill's fiancée Jill getting suspicious of his activities or intentions towards Mrs Spottsworth. The Captain's arrival at the Abbey merely adds to Bill's woes.
| Bill, Lord Rowcester | an Earl (Towcester in US version) |
| Lady Monica Carmoyle | his sister |
| Sir Roderick Carmoyle | her husband |
| Jill Wyvern | engaged to Bill |
| Colonel Aubrey Wyvern | her father and Chief Constable |
| Mrs Rosalinda Spottsworth | a wealthy American widow |
| Captain Biggar | a big game hunter |
| Jeeves | butler to Lord Rowcester |
| Ellen Tallulah French | maid to Lord Rowcester |
| Bulstrode | butler to Colonel Wyvern, much be-pimpled |
| Evangeline Trelawny | cook to Colonel Wyvern |
| a waiter | at the Goose and Gherkin |