Becauseoftheir"newmoney"background,fourAmericangirlshavedifficultybreakingintotheupper-crustsocietyofNewYork.LauraTestvalley,thegovernessofoneofthegirls,suggestsaLondonseasonandthustheyoungwomensetsailforEnglandandtheunsuspectingEnglisharistocracy.InEngland,allthegirlssoonfindeligiblehusbandsandtheyoungestgirl,Nan,seemstolandthebesthusbandofthemall:thehandsomeandverywealthyJulius,DukeofTrevennick.NanandJuliusmeetforthefirsttimeinaruin,whichisanindicationofwheretheirmarriageissoonheading.Afterthenuptials,JuliusseemsmoreinterestedinclocksandstableboysthanNan’shappiness,andallthegirlssoondiscoverthatEnglishupper-classmenarenotatallwhattheyexpectedandhopedfor.
