A publicity hungry press agent creates a romance between an icy college dean and a visiting lecturer.

Susan Manning Middlecott, the Dean of Benton College, who has always placed her career above romance, lives quietly with her father Mark and her adopted daughter Louisa. When astronomy professor Alec Stevenson informs Teddy Evans, a publicist for the Pomeroy Lecture Bureau, which employs him, that he intends to deliver a locket belonging to Susan, Teddy concocts a romance between them and releases the story to the afternoon papers. Susan is outraged, believing that the story undermines her authority, and leaves for Boston, where Alec is to lecture, determined to put a stop to the story. Meanwhile, Alec has arrived in Benton to look for Susan, who is at the train station. Alec and Susan travel to Boston on the same train without discovering each other's identity, and when they leave the train together, Teddy snaps their picture. A furious Susan hits Alec with her purse and immediately catches the return train, followed by Alec, who wants to explain. When he finally catches up with her, Alec presents Susan with the locket, which was given to him in a concentration camp by Benoit, a dying soldier. When Susan responds that she barely knew the man, Alec accuses her of being cold-hearted. The next day, the newspaper runs a picture of Susan attacking Alec. Mark, an amateur astronomer, then sends for Alec, hoping to matchmake. To avoid Alec, Susan decides to take Louisa to the family country lodge. Unknown to Susan, Mark invites Alec to the lodge to see his observatory, and, in this more relaxed setting, Susan and Alec get along better. When Susan tells Alec that she adopted Louisa in France during the war, Alec assumes that she was married to Benoit and, believing that he deserted her when he was actually in the concentration camp, has grown indifferent to men. The following night, Susan and Alec attend the Senior Prom at the college. Susan tries her best to avoid Alec, but he begs her for just one dance. When a photographer takes their pictures, however, Susan is convinced that Alec set her up and asks one of the students to take her home. On the way, they are challenged to a drag race and are arrested. Then Teddy learns about Louisa and calls in a story claiming that Alec is the girl's father. The scandal threatens Susan's job, and determined to clear her name, Susan shows Mark Louisa's adoption papers which she intends to present to the school board. Mark, however, is delighted that Susan's career is in trouble and exhorts her to grab her chance to be a woman and go after the man she loves. He adds that he never intended her to pursue a career but educated her so that she would meet a good husband. To help save Susan's reputation, Alec claims to have been secretly married to her, as does professor Paul Simone, who has been in love with her for years. Thoroughly confused, the board asks Susan to resign unless she can prove that the rumors are false. Angry that her spotless record means nothing to the board, Susan refuses and hurries after Alec. After she leaves, Mark shows the board Louisa's adoption papers, certain that Susan has finally gotten her man.