J. Pierpont Finch, a young but bright window-cleaner buys a book - "How To Succeed In Business" and following its advice joins the multi-national but poorly-connected "World-Wide Wicket Company". Starting from the mail-room he rises to Vice-President in Charge Of Advertising using sneaky and dubious ways so that the person above him gets either fired or moved to another section of the company. He also starts slowly falling in love with secretary Rosemary Pilkington. Meanwhile, the president of the WWWC, J.B. Biggley, tries to have an affair with drop-dead gorgeous bubble-head Hedy LaRue, but she becomes a weapon used both by Finch and Bud Frump, Biggley's brattish and annoying nephew who believe that he should get all the breaks and not Finch. Can Finch rise to the top or will it all go down in flames...