On the death of her husband Harry, a Los Angeles businessman, American Nancy Belasco and her son Jake are insolvent. Much of his money is invested in St Maud's College at Cambridge University, a university he loved. So Nancy, who was born in Cambridge as the child of a GI bride, and Jake decide to go and live in Cambridge. Using her late husband's clout, Nancy gets a job as an assistant bursar, persuading the Master of the College, Sir Dickie Hobhouse, to admit Jake on a sports scholarship. This leads to clashes between Nancy and Professor Simon Latimer, who knows Jake doesn't have the academic prowess to warrant his place. Meanwhile, in a culture clash romance, Jake becomes involved with the aristocratic Hon. Lucy Courtney.