Demobbed soldier Gordon Laid, returning from World War II, meets Maxine Lupercal, a member of a traveling troupe of actors returning to England on the same ship. As Gordon closely resembles a member of the troupe, mistaken identity causes him to become embroiled in various murders and an international-espionage plot involving a cigarette lighter that strangely affects electricity. The action reaches its comical climax on stage with Gordon and his double as the spies, and the police converge on the theatre in a desperate attempt to retrieve the missing cigarette lighter.