the peace and quiet enjoyed by the residents of the exclusive neighborhood of rock bay, long island is disturbed by a newspaper gossip column tidbit that one of their maids is writing a tell-all book about her employers. since the author is not identified, each family fears that its secrets will be aired in public. among those confused and distraught are dr. sommerfield (melville cooper) and his wife sophia (spring byington). their teenage daughter miranda (virginia weidler), however, is thrilled. their longtime cook mrs. mckessic (marjorie main) arranges a meeting of the neighborhood servants, in which they decide to band together against the attempts by many of their employers to spy on them to learn who the writer is.