A lively riverboat musical, based on the novel by Harry Hamilton. Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea are Pearl and Ernie, a dewy-eyed young couple in Mississippi. Ernie has lived on the Mississippi River all his life, a member of the proud shanty-boat people. Pearl is a land girl, and unaccustomed to the simple ways of the river folk. But Pearl is determined to be a good wife to Ernie, and her new father-in-law, Newt (Walter Brennan) has high hopes for a grandchild. These sweet, straightforward plans go awry on their wedding day when a local troublemaker tries to force a sloppy kiss on the new bride. Ernie intervenes, and knocks him overboard. The man fails to resurface, and Ernie jumps into the river and flees. Songs include Where the Lazy River Goes By, With a Banjo on My Knee, There's Something in the Air and St Louis Blues.