As the curtain opens, young Patrick, accompanied by his nanny, Agnes Gooch, is arriving in New York City. Recently orphaned, the boy has come to live with his Auntie Mame. He soon learns that, while Mame loves him, she is far from being a model of conventional motherhood. His aunt wants Patrick to participate in life with a capital L, and she has the wealth to provide the schooling and every other type of experience she thinks he needs.