French playboy Michel Marnet and American Terry McKay fall in love during the transatlantic passage of a ship. They arrange to reunite six months later, if neither has changed their mind.

A light-hearted romantic drama starring Cary Grant & Irene Dunne as a couple who meet, fall in love, quarrel and reunite. While listening to a recording of “Penny Serenade”, Julie Gardiner Adams (Irene Dunne) begins reflecting on her past. She recalls her impulsive marriage to newspaper reporter Roger Adams (Carey Grant), which begins on a deliriously happy note but turns out to be fraught with tragedy. Other songs remind her of their courtship, their marriage, their desire for a child, and the joys and sorrows they have shared. A flood of memories come back to her as she ponders on their present problems and how they arose.

Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other’s attempts to find new romance.