A stormy marriage of six months between Narcissa and Peter Williams ends in a bitter quarrel, and to gain his freedom Peter offers her more alimony than he can afford. Then he meets Mary Martin, who restores his faith in marriage. With business reverses, Peter falls behind in his alimony payments and neglects his new wife. Narcissa, however, manages to support Bertie Waring, a young sofa-hound; but she protests the delayed alimony and Mary is forced to take a job with an interior decorating establishment. Peter goes to Narcissa to appeal to her generosity, at the moment when Mary (unaware of Narcissa's identity as her husband's first wife) is working in Narcissa's apartment; seeing them together, Mary leaves in humiliation and accepts an invitation from Bertie. Determined to take revenge on the woman who has "stolen her sweetheart," Narcissa follows the couple to a roadhouse; Peter arrives, and during a police raid Mary suggests that Narcissa is engaged to Bertie. Rather than face jail, they get married, thus cutting off their means of support--alimony.