Barbara (Jill St. John) is in love with Norman (Jerry Lewis), the man who looks after her poodle. But she has a secret: She's the daughter of a wealthy society couple and worth more than Norman will ever make. When her mother, Phoebe (Agnes Moorehead), finds out about Barbara's relationship, she sends Norman to work a series of increasingly humiliating jobs at the family's department store. Norman tries to please his cruel boss, Mr. Quimby (Ray Walston), and win Barbara's hand in marriage.