The divorce of Hugh and Miriam Halsworth becomes final at midnight. Hugh wouldn't dream of calling it off, but can't abandon his rose garden. Things change that afternoon, though, when Miriam's old suitor Victor Macfarland checks into the hotel where Hugh is publicity man. With Miriam's daughter Barbara rooting for Hugh and son-in-law Jerry rooting for Victor, things are unlikely to be resolved by midnight...

On the day that their divorce is to become final after twenty years of marriage, Miriam and Hugh Halsworth squabble over the roses Hugh planted at their home, which Miriam now shares with their daughter Barbara, son-in-law Jerry and baby granddaughter Annabella. Jerry, who is Hugh's assistant in the publicity department of a posh hotel, resents Barbara's dependence on her mother and wants a home of their own. Barbara hopes that her parents will reunite, although Miriam can no longer tolerate Hugh's gambling, and Hugh is upset about Miriam's pursuit of the divorce. That afternoon, noted entrepreneur and womanizer Victor Macfarland comes to Hugh's hotel, where he will vacation while awaiting news about his appointment to represent the United States at an international financial conference. Victor and Hugh, who competed for Miriam's affections in high school, greet each other warily, although Jerry is thrilled to meet Victor when he discovers that the wealthy businessman still carries a torch for Miriam. Hoping that if Victor and Miriam fall in love and marry, he and Barbara will have to move, Jerry informs Victor that Miriam will soon be divorced. When Victor sends Miriam flowers, however, she angrily throws them away, as she has not forgiven Victor for leaving town without saying goodbye twenty years earlier. Hugh visits Miriam, whom he still loves, and promises her that he has quit gambling, even though he bet on a horse named Annabella that morning. Miriam is about to relent when Hugh receives word that his horse won, and is quarreling with Hugh when Victor arrives. Victor refuses to explain his mysterious disappearance but confesses his active interest in Miriam, even after Hugh introduces Annabella to show Victor that Miriam is a grandmother. Hugh is worried that the smooth-talking Victor's intentions are not honorable, and he bets Miriam that she cannot get Victor to marry her. Over the next few days, Victor and Miriam are inseparable, until one afternoon, Victor suggests that he and Miriam travel together without getting married. Miriam turns him down, explaining that, as a grandmother, she must be a moral role model. Miriam easily prods Victor into proposing marriage, and she accepts. Barbara is heartbroken, but Jerry is pleased by the upcoming wedding, which is to take place just before Victor leaves for Washington, D.C. for the hearing about his appointment. The day before the nuptials, however, Victor cancels the plans, as he must leave immediately for Washington. Victor asks Miriam to accompany him, but the flustered Miriam decides to join him the following day instead. When Miriam sees Victor off at the airport, he cautions her to avoid any scandal that might threaten his appointment. Victor also reveals why he left town so suddenly when they were teenagers, but the airplane noise is so loud that Miriam can barely hear him. Upon returning home, Miriam calls Hugh in a rage and threatens to destroy his beloved rose bushes. Meanwhile, Jerry, tired of Barbara's refusal to grow up, packs a suitcase and moves into the hotel. Late that night, Jerry returns to the house with a drunken Hugh, who refuses to explain why Miriam is angry with him, and helps him dig up his rose bushes to "rescue" them. Miriam then confronts Hugh, and he admits that he shot craps with Victor twenty years ago, with the loser required to leave town so that the winner could pursue Miriam. Crushed that Hugh would leave their future to chance, Miriam does not respond when the police arrive and arrest him for trespassing. Jerry is also arrested, and an anxious Barbara drags Miriam to the police station to bail him out. Reporters take photographs of Miriam with Hugh, and the next day, the newspapers are filled with scandalous stories about Victor's fiancée and her ex-husband. An indignant Victor chastises Miriam and warns her that they must postpone their wedding until after he has received his appointment. Infuriated by Victor's priggish attitude, Miriam breaks off their engagement. Hugh then shows her the dice with which he gambled for her, and Miriam's sorrow turns to delight as Hugh demonstrates that the dice are loaded and there was no way he could have lost. Jerry and Barbara then watch happily as Hugh and Miriam reconcile with a kiss.