Jack Doyle, ex–amateur boxer and failed advertising account executive, returns to the world of thoroughbred horse racing when he is hired as publicity director for Monee Park, a struggling suburban Chicago track owned by heiress Celia McCann.

McCann is determined to maintain the business, which was inherited from a beloved uncle. She finds various exploits to keep the business afloat while awaiting passage of a law allowing the introduction of lucrative video slot machines at Monee Park. But meanwhile, McCann is under pressure from the other heir, her cousin, Niall Hanratty, who wants to close the track and sell the valuable property to real-estate developers. Jack Doyle is called on to help Celia's cause, again a somewhat reluctant knight-errant, who rises to the occasion when needed.