Den stinkende rige og skrækkelig ukultiverede tøjmagnat Thornton Melon besøger sin søn på universitetet, og han forfærdes, da han opdager, at sønnike er en upopulær slapsvans. Melon senior beslutter sig for at flytte ind hos junior, så han samtidig kan tage den eksamen, han aldrig fik som ung. Og den midaldrende festabe bliver selvfølgelig et kæmpe hit blandt sine medstuderende på campus.

Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.

Simon, the leader of a police special unit, becomes caught up in a complex scheme involving bribery and money-laundering, as well as an affair with the beautiful wife of a government official investigating organized crime and political corruption. After the official is kidnapped, the chase leads to a dramatic conclusion high in the Bavarian Alps.