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When film star Laurel Stevens leaves her home to attend the premiere of her new film, The Kidnapped Bride, she is abducted by two bumbling, first-time kidnappers, Mike Valla and Dandy.  At the theater, Laurel’s agent, Barney Baylies, and Grandeur Studios’ head, Arthur Martin, attempt to placate the press, particularly gossip columnist Daisy Parker, over Laurel’s non-appearance.

Meanwhile, Mike and Dandy drive Laurel to their hideout at the Malibu beach.  Eventually, Arthur and Barney realize that Laurel may have been kidnapped, but agree that Bertha, Laurel’s personal assistant, should wait until midnight before informing the police.  At the house in Malibu, Laurel tries, unsuccessfully, to convince both Mike and Dandy to let her go.

Elsewhere in the city, police sergeant Ed McBride, who was responsible for Mike serving a jail sentence for murder, but then got him released when he realized that Mike was innocent, is ordered to check on Mike’s whereabouts.

When Laurel discovers that Mike and Dandy intend to ransom her for fifty thousand dollars, she is insulted and says she is worth at least five hundred thousand dollars.  Laurel then becomes concerned that the kidnapping could be perceived simply as a publicity stunt related to her new film and worries that it could seriously damage her career.

After McBride tracks Mike to the house, Laurel threatens to make her presence known, so Mike knocks her out.  When she recovers, she hears Mike and McBride discussing Mike’s false imprisonment and decides, for fear of adverse publicity, that she should not involve the police in the kidnapping, but try to resolve the situation on her own.  Laurel then passes herself off as Mike’s girlfriend and goes unrecognized by McBride.  After McBride leaves, Laurel insists that the kidnapping be made to appear real enough so that it will not be perceived as a publicity gimmick.  When Laurel is officially reported missing, McBride is assigned to the case and consults with Barney and Arthur, who offers a reward of one hundred thousand dollars for the capture of the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Laurel and Mike begin to fall in love.  In order to make the kidnapping appear genuine, Mike arranges, through untraceable intermediaries, for Arthur to pay one hundred thousand dollars in cash as Laurel’s ransom.  Bertha is to take the money in a suitcase to the TWA ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport, where Dandy works, and check it in.

While visiting Arthur’s office, McBride sees a studio portrait of Laurel, realizes where he has seen her and drives off in a great hurry.  Laurel’s situation becomes more complicated when she wakens with a hangover and discovers that she has asked Dandy to elope with her.

Later, after Dandy has gone to the ticket counter to collect the suitcase with the ransom money, Mike and Laurel realize that they are in love and, ignoring the potential damage to her career, decide to prevent Dandy from receiving the ransom money.  As they are about to leave, McBride arrives, but Laurel knocks him out and she and Mike race to the airport in McBride’s patrol car.

At the airport, Bertha, observed by numerous undercover police officers, checks in the suitcase at Dandy’s counter, but he mixes it up with a similar suitcase.  Mike and Laurel then take the suitcase from Dandy, intending to return it to Arthur.  As they attempt to leave, McBride arrives to arrest Mike and Dandy.  When he opens the suitcase, however, there is no money inside and Laurel saves Mike and Dandy from prosecution by declaring that they are her publicity agents, hired to stage the kidnapping.  Mike and Laurel then embrace.