Dwight Dawson (Don Ameche) runs a hype-driven self-improvement course in the Dale Carnegie mode. He and his partner Horace Hunter (Edward Everett Horton) are seeking new sales ideas as enrollment has declined sharply. Their chief of marketing, Claire Harris (Lynn Bari), who is also Dwight's fiancée, comes up with an idea to announce a contest seeking the biggest loser in the country. The prize is $500 and Dwight's course in career advancement. The idea is that the contest will create interest to Dwight's teaching system.