Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) return from vacation to their home in San Francisco on New Year's Eve, where Nora's stuffy family expect the couple to join them for a formal dinner. Nick is despised by Nora's Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph), the family matriarch, as his immigrant heritage and experience as a "flatfoot" are considered beneath Nora. Nora's cousin Selma (Elissa Landi) tells Nora that her ne'er-do-well husband Robert (Alan Marshal) has been missing for three days. David Graham (James Stewart), is Selma's earlier fiancé, and an old friend of Nora's family. He offers to pay Robert $25,000 ($ in dollars) to leave and grant Selma a divorce. Nora successfully badgers Nick into helping to locate Robert.