Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) is a workaholic with a Manhattan publishing firm. In the summertime his wife (Evelyn Keyes) and son have gone out to the countryside on holiday. While they are away Richard comes across a book called “The Seven Year Itch”. The author claims that people are most likely to have affairs once their seventh anniversary has passed. Richard determines that this must not happen to himself and his family. A new neighbor has arrived in Richard’s apartment building, a television commercial actress (Marilyn Monroe). Richard invites the girl over to his place for drinks one evening, and his imagination runs wild.