James Gannon, the hardboiled city editor of a newspaper, believes that the only way to learn the business is by way of the School of Hard Knocks, and has a very low regard for college-taught journalism, so he’s not pleased when his managing editor orders him to help Erica Stone, a college professor, with her journalism class. Finding himself attracted to her, he pretends to be a student in her class, not revealing he’s Gannon, whom she despises. As they bob and weave around their mutual growing attraction, they both begin to gain respect for each other’s approaches to reporting news, but how will Erica react when she finds out who he really is?