Vermont farm girl Gwen Harding (Gloria Jean) enrolls in the Devereau School of Music in New York,and makes a singing hit at a school party. She wins the attention of student Richard "Slick" Ellis (Ray Malone)and also the jealousy of Slick's girlfriend Brenda Allenby (Vivian Austin). The school is in bad financial shape and its director, Lionel Devereau (George Dolenz),is in debt. Gwen's singing teacher from Vermont, Lucy Meadows (Fay Helm), arrives at the school and Devereau, thinking she is a job applicant, hires her as his secretary. Gwen has to leave school when her Uncle Rufus (Russell Simpson)is faced with ruin on the farm because of a shortage of help. Gwen returns and her school friends volunteer to go and help in bringing in the harvest. Gwen plans to enter her pet cow Myrtle in the stock show at the Farm Jubilee but Brenda steals and hides the cow.

Gwen Harding, a country girl from Virginia, starts her first day at the Devereau School of Music Stage Radio, a private school for the performing arts in New York City, by mistaking fellow student Richard "Slick" Ellis for the school's owner, Lionel Devereau. Gwen tells the school's administration that she has very little money and can only afford to take a limited number of courses. In order to help pay for her extra courses, Gwen works as a waitress at the school's cafeteria, which leads her to be snubbed by the wealthy Brenda Allenby, who is actually jealous of Slick's attentions toward the new student. Later, Lucy Meadows, Gwen's former vocal instructor, comes to New York to visit Gwen, but is mistaken by Lionel for his new secretary. Lucy decides to accept the job, as she is immediately attracted to her new boss. Back on their Vermont farm, meanwhile, Gwen's uncle and aunt, Rufus and Bess Harding, face hard times, as they can ill-afford their niece's tuition due on top of Bess's medical bills and costly labor needed to help with the upcoming harvest. When Rufus receives an unsigned letter from Brenda, warning him that New York is no place for a country girl like Gwen, he orders his niece to return home. Lucy decides to go to Vermont as well, despite Lionel's strenuous objections. The students then suggest to Lionel that the school cancel its spring show in order to go to Vermont to help Gwen's family harvest their crops. Lionel readily agrees when he learns that Lucy is living on the Harding farm, having taken over the ill Bess's chores. Brenda agrees to go along as well, as her friend Betty has written to Lucy and falsely stated that Slick and Brenda are engaged. After the students complete the harvest, Bess asks them to stay on so that they can perform their spring show at the local farm jubilee. Meanwhile, Lucy decides to enter Gwen's cow Myrtle in the milking competition, in hopes of winning the $500 grand prize that would pay the young girl's tuition at Devereau. When Brenda learns of Lucy's plan, she disguises the cow and takes it from its barn. Myrtle is found in time to win the contest, however, and Gwen and Slick are united after learning about Brenda's multiple deceptions. Lionel and Lucy are reunited as well, as he dictates to her a proposal of marriage.