Opera prima donna leaves the Metropolitan to form her own company with Tibbett as leading man. She leaves this company too which means Tibbett and company must carry on without her.

As she attempts unsuccessfully to repair her stalled car sixteen miles outside of New York City, Anne Merrill switches the car radio from a cowboy song to opera and begins to sing along. Thomas Renwick, carrying fishing gear nearby, joins her in song and offers to help with the car. After he reveals that he sings with the Metropolitan Opera, he catches his bus still carrying Anne's wrench. She then discovers that he left his fishing bag with one small fish inside. While watching a performance at the Met, Anne spies Tom through her binoculars nearly hidden among the background singers. When her escort, Niki Baroni, whose proposals she has refused because she wants to have a singing career, learns of her interest in Tom, who is his friend, he promises to take her to meet him. After the performance, temperamental diva Ghita Galin berates the opera director Moselli for not choosing her for the lead and then threatens to form her own opera company. Although Tom is scheduled to play Amonasro in Aida when the lead cannot go on because of illness, Maselli substitutes a known singer because Tom has no name or reputation. Feeling that he needs to prove himself, Tom quits the Met. That night, Niki brings Anne to Tom's home. In the midst of their conversation, Ghita, who was infatuated with Tom in Naples, calls and says that she wants him as artistic director of her new opera. Tom convinces her to hire as her conductor Papa Perontelli, a former conductor at La Scala whose career went downhill after he quit because he lost his temper and became an alcoholic. In Philadelphia, where Ghita has leased a theater for tryouts, Papa is exasperated because of her tardiness for rehearsals, and Tom is touchy about gossip linking him romantically with Ghita, who has been trying to seduce him. After a run-in with Ghita, Papa is persuaded not to quit by manager Ugo Pizzi, who reminds him how much the performance means to Tom's career. However, when on a whim, Ghita decides to switch from The Barber of Seville to Carmen , Papa walks off and leaves in a cab. Tom and Anne, who is a singer in the show, chase after him, but once they are in the country, they discover that they have followed the wrong cab. After they are inticed to have tea by a couple of children, Tom confesses that he loves Anne, who says she is very happy. Just then, Papa's cab stops, and Tom succeeds in getting him to come back. When Ghita hears Anne sing a beautiful aria, she interrupts and jealously demands that either Anne or she goes. Although Tom tells Anne that he will leave, she convinces him to stay and he kisses her. When Ghita's voice cracks in the midst of an aria, she blames Papa and declares that there will be no opera. Tom talks with the creditors, and he is given until six that night to raise $11,000. When things look hopeless, Anne learns about the situation, and as she writes Tom a check for the amount, she reveals that she is really Anne Merrill Beaconhill of the wealthy Boston family, but that she wanted to make it as a singer on her own. Tom gathers the company together and tells them they will perform Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana , but no one can find Papa. Tom and Anne, who rehearses for the female lead, plan to get married if the show goes well. The rehearsals are very straining for Tom, who feels that they need a genius like Papa to bring the company together. Papa finally returns and on the night of the opening reminds Tom that he must not fail. Despite being near exhaustion, Tom sings magnificently. During the exuberant ovation, after Tom takes his bow, he kisses Anne backstage. She tells him to take another one, whereupon he kisses her again. Although she explains that she meant a bow, Tom kisses her a third time.