"Lady Betty Across the Water" tells the story of Betty, a beautiful young girl from a noble class whose family has more respectability than money. The family is going to marry off Betty's plain older sister, but since Betty is too attractive, they decide she may be a distraction to her sister's fiancé and send her off to America. On the way, Betty gets into a series of adventures, including attempts to force her into a marriage with an older man and meeting a handsome but mysterious Jim Brett.