Algernon Moncrieff welcomes his friend, Ernest Worthing, in for a visit. Through an incident with a cigarette case and an unlucky inscription, Ernest is forced to confess that his name is really Jack. In the country, Jack must lead the boring life of responsible guardian for his pretty, young ward Cecily. So he made up a seedy younger brother named Ernest, an urban socialite, who allows Jack to visit the city any time he wants under the pretense that he is "cleaning up Ernest's messes." The problem: Gwendolen, the love of Jack's life, is so in love with the name Ernest that she will only mary him if his name really is Ernest!