Fifth Avenue socialite Irene Bullock needs a "forgotten man" to win a scavenger hunt, and no one is more forgotten than Godfrey Park, who resides in a dump by the East River. Irene hires Godfrey as a servant for her riotously unhinged family, to the chagrin of her spoiled sister, Cornelia, who tries her best to get Godfrey fired. As Irene falls for her new butler, Godfrey turns the tables and teaches the frivolous Bullocks a lesson or two.
When Godfrey says his ancestors always lived in America, Angelica says, "They weren't Indians, I hope." Tommy comments on Godfrey's wife, who he considered "dark."
The male lead is homeless and we see many other homeless people living in the town dump, referred to as forgotten men. The rich characters use them for amusement during a game. In the end they all get jobs at a place opened specifically to help them.