Summary
When the venerable Earl of Dunhaven lies on his deathbed, he attempts to reroute his considerable fortune to his nephew, the impeccably proper Hon. Guy Wyndham, thereby disinheriting his own blood. The estate’s solicitor, John Grahame, a man of relentless loyalty, flies across the Atlantic to locate the earl’s estranged grandson, Jim Dunn, a weather‑beaten cowpuncher from Wyoming. Jim, driven by the desire to secure a home for his orphaned nephew Sam, agrees to journey to England with Grahame, clutching a set of documents that, now that the earl has expired, prove Jim’s legitimate claim to the title. Upon arrival, the raw, unvarnished manners of the American frontier clash violently with the stiff, porcelain etiquette of the Dunhaven household. Jim’s boisterous singing, his penchant for whiskey‑spiked breakfasts, and his informal dress bewilder the aristocratic relatives, especially the icy Lady Caroline Croxton. Yet the servants, initially startled, find a kinship in his unpretentious spirit, adopting his songs and customs, much to Lady Croxton’s consternation. Amidst this cultural collision, Jim falls for Phyllis Barton, Lady Croxton’s diligent secretary, who warns him of a conspiratorial plot by the Wyndham faction to strip him of his inheritance. With the aid of Grahame and his own frontier tenacity, Jim asserts his right, only to discover that the gilded halls of Dunhaven feel more like a gilded cage. He ultimately relinquishes the manor, leasing it to the relatives, and returns to America with Phyllis and Sam, leaving behind a legacy of transatlantic upheaval.
Synopsis
The Earl of Dunhaven, who disinherited his son for marrying an American, tries, on his deathbed, to leave his estate to his nephew, the Honorable Guy Wyndham. To stop him, the Dunhaven solicitor, John Grahame, travels to America and finds the earl's grandson, Jim Dunn, a Wyoming cowpuncher. Because Jim wants a home for his motherless nephew Sam, they go to England with Grahame, taking papers which prove, because the earl has since died, that Jim is his legitimate heir. Jim's Western ways irritate his newly-found, chilly relatives. Finding himself more at home with the servants, he teaches them American customs and songs, thus shocking his aunt, Lady Caroline Croxton. After falling in love with Lady Croxton's secretary, Phyllis Barton, who warns him about a plot to rid him of his inheritance, Jim establishes his right, but tires of British life, and leaves for America with Phyllis and Sam, after renting the estate to his relatives.
