Carl Landis is feeling unwanted pressure to get married, specifically to his girlfriend Ellen. It's not that he doesn't love her or that they haven't talked about getting married, but he wants to feel financially secure first. Having recently graduated from business college, Carl is working in the family business, Landis Department Store, which has been his father's dream. While other department stores in neighboring cities are thriving, Landis' is in a slump. This pressure threatens Carl and Ellen's relationship altogether as Carl ponders his professional future. It isn't until Carl goes on a shopping trip with Ellen and subsequently meets Elliott Winston, a friend of Ellen's family, that Carl understands that not all business issues can be learned in school as he gets a better handle on why Landis Department Store is in a slump while other businesses are thriving and thus how to fix the problem so that he can move on with the rest of his life with Ellen.