Nick Arden’s wife Ellen is lost and presumed drowned at sea. After seven years, he has her declared dead and marries Bianca Bates. On that very day, Ellen returns. She tracks Nick and Bianca to their honeymoon hotel and makes her appearance. Nick puts her up in another room and assures her he loves her while at the same time trying to keep Bianca from finding out. Ellen goes back to their old house and is there when Nick brings Bianca home. Ellen plays an annoying family friend.

Things get more complicated when an insurance man shows up to try to track down a rumor that Ellen is still alive. He tells Nick that he’s heard that she and another man, a Stephen Burkett, we on the island together for the seven years. Nick gets jealous. Ellen tries to put him off by paying a wimpy little shoe salesman to pose as Stephen, but Nick has already tracked the real Stephen to his club. He takes Ellen there for lunch, and Stephen shows up. When Stephen finds out Nick is remarried, he asks Ellen to marry him.

Nick takes it back to court. He gets his marriage to Bianca annulled and Ellen declared alive again. But he’s still jealous about Stephen. He follows Ellen to a cabin in the mountains and, after a great deal of silly playing around, declares that he loves her.

• The movie was inspired by Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, Enoch Arden. Although it is not credited onscreen, the writers gave tribute to it by calling the main characters "Arden".

Silly. Funny in places. Cary Grant is always good for his facial reactions.