Newspaper reporter Perry Brown is infatuated with fellow reporter Judy McGowan, but although she flirts with him, she is not romantically inclined toward him. The staff accountant, P. E. Dodd, is also in love with Judy, but he is so prudish, penny-pinching and regimented that he is unappealing. P. E. goes to the cabin belonging to his cousins, Bill and Jennie Hawkins, for a vacation in the mountains. When Cyrus K. West, the wealthiest man in the country, is kidnapped from his nearby estate, managing editor Bill Court puts P. E. in charge of the story, even though he is not a reporter. Using his efficient methods, P. E. gets control of the only phone in town and all the vehicles, and commands the respect of the sheriff and townspeople. Determined to meet Mrs. West, P. E. is on his way to the estate when a tree falls across the road and he is given a ransom note. At the same time, Court has mobilized his reporters and sent Perry, Judy and photographers by hydroplane into the small town. P. E. promises Mrs. West he will not publish news of the ransom note as the kidnappers have threatened to kill Mr. West if this is done. Later, P. E. is militant in giving instructions to the reporters, but, as they do not like taking orders from their accountant, they disregard him. Judy and Perry get pictures of the West child, and phone a story into the paper about the ransom notes. When Mrs. West discovers this, she believes that P. E. went back on his word and forbids him from entering the estate. Judy feels guilty for having hurt P. E. because of her growing respect for him. Bill gets word that the kidnappers will deliver Mr. West near the lake, and he and P. E. sneak off early in the morning to make sure it goes smoothly. They are followed by their comrades. Judy and Perry hide in the kidnappers' car. After the money exchange takes place, Judy and Perry are discovered and the kidnappers take their new hostages to their hideout, where Mr. West is being kept. P. E., Bill and Jenny pursue them, and after a shootout, P. E. rescues Judy and becomes her hero. Finally realizing her love for him, Judy accepts P. E.'s marriage proposal.