The film tells the story of a young woman Milly (Jane Powell), who marries a lumberjack, Adam (Howard Keel) after knowing him for a very short time. He takes her home to his cabin, and she is surprised to learn that he lives with his six lumberjack brothers: Benjamin (Jeff Richards), Caleb (Matt Mattox), Daniel (Marc Platt), Ephraim (Jacques d’Amboise), Frank (Tommy Rall) and Gideon (Russ Tamblyn) who were alphabetically named for biblical characters. The brothers have little or no social skills so Milly decides to teach them manners and social skills, including teaching them to dance, so that they can find girls of their own. They get to try out their new polished manners at a local barn raising, where they meet six girls: Dorcas (Julie Newmar), Ruth (Ruta Lee), Martha (Norma Doggett), Liza (Virginia Gibson), Sarah (Betty Carr) and Alice (Nancy Kilgas). Will all the brothers find love and live happily ever after?