| Director | Mervyn LeRoy |
|---|---|
| Budget | $2.6 million |
| Box office | $4.9 million |
In the late 19th century, polio-stricken Australian girl Annette Kellerman swims to improve her health. Her father Frederick, who owns a music conservatory, accepts a teaching position in England. Aboard ship, Annette encounters the American promoter James Sullivan and his associate Doc Cronnol, who are taking a boxing kangaroo named Sydney to London.
In London, Jimmy suggests promoting Annette in a six-mile swim to Greenwich, but she volunteers to extend it to 26 miles. Word spreads of the swim and Annette's feat is newsworthy. Jimmy believes that they can make a fortune if Annette performs in a water ballet at the Hippodrome in New York. However, show manager Alfred Harper does not offer Annette a role in the show, so she travels to Boston for a highly publicized swim. However, she courts trouble by wearing a revealing one-piece swimsuit.
Annette and Jimmy have a misunderstanding and part ways. Harper has a change of heart and offers to make Annette the headliner of his New York show. After the death of her father, she travels to Montauk at the behest of Doc to try to dissuade Jimmy from flying in an air race with a $50,000 prize.
Harper falls in love with Annette while she travels to Hollywood to appear in a film. Jimmy and Doc arrive, promoting a dog named Rin Tin Tin that they hope will star in the movies. A water tank bursts during the production of Annette's film, causing her a spinal hematoma. With Annette's future in doubt, Harper steps aside when he sees that Annette and Jimmy are in love.