Set in Delhi in 1962, Lala Jagannath (Om Prakash) and Seth Karam Chand (Harindranath Chattopadhyay), two wealthy businessmen, are bidding for the front plot in a government auction. One is westernised and wears black-rimmed spectacles, the other, traditional turban and linen. Adamant on getting the front plot of land, Lala Jagannath raises the price higher and higher. Seth Karam Chand irks him even further by raising the price by a paltry 1000 rupees, made worse by the fact that Seth Karam Chand raises his finger, leaving the auctioneer (Jankidas) and the crowd to interpret the meaning. Lala Jagannath winds up with the front plot, but at the last moment, Seth Karam Chand comes in and quotes an insane price for the back plot, leaving the rest to think something has gone wrong with him.

Back home, Seth Karam Chand informs his wife about his decision, and the two banter, with him talking about "style". His daughter, Sulekha (Nutan) points out that their house will be hidden by Lala Jagannath's one. Not willing to let such a thing happen, Seth Karam Chand and Sulekha hire an architect, Rakesh (Dev Anand).^[13] After a little friction and misunderstanding, Rakesh gets to know Sulekha and her brother, Ranjit. (Rajendra Nath). His sidekick, Madan, (Rashid Khan), sets his eyes on Sulekha's friend, Motiya (Parveen Choudhary).

They go to visit the Qutub Minar, and no one else but Rakesh and Sulekha are willing to climb up. Slowly, but surely, Rakesh and Sulekha start to fall in love. But there's a catch that no one but Rakesh and Madan know – Rakesh is actually Lala Jagannath's son! Even then, he conceals the truth from everyone, leading to some hilarious side-splitting scenes where Rakesh tries to keep his parents away from Sulekha's, and his antics include pretending to have an attack and making both sides believe he's scolding the other, with a little help from his sidekick.

Meanwhile, Ranjit and Rakesh's colleague, Jenny (Zarine Katrak) fall in love as well. Ranjit leaves for Kashmir, and Rakesh starts to make the plans for the houses. To add to his woes, his father insists that he design the house, and Seth Karam Chand has already hired him. Still not willing to allow the truth to be revealed, he tries to keep the designs away from each side, but to no avail. His father sees a design, insists on it, while Seth Karam Chand has already decided on that one. Fed up with all the enmity, Rakesh eventually decides to make both houses the same. His love affair with Sulekha continues. When Sulekha goes off to Shimla, Rakesh follows behind her.

Finally deciding that enough is enough, Rakesh decides to reveal the truth to Sulekha. She gets very angry with him, but thankfully, their parents don't come to know about it. He refuses to work for them, and when she demands to know why, he drops a bombshell and tells her that he is indeed Lala Jagannath's son. Feeling betrayed, she starts to avoid him at Ronny's birthday party. Undaunted, Rakesh sings a song, and she is easily wooed back.

However, Lala Jagannath and Seth Karamchand both find out, and marriage, in their eyes, is impossible. Their enmity is a barrier between their children's love, and however hard Rakesh and Sulekha try, the barrier is impenetrable. Even then, Rakesh finally manages to convince them, and they relent, embracing each other. Taking that as a yes, Rakesh and Sulekha hug each other too, overjoyed. They get married at the inauguration of the two houses that Rakesh had built.

• Dev Anand as Rakesh Anand Kumar, an architect who builds both houses
• Nutan Behl as Sulekha, a young girl who falls in love with Rakesh
• Rajendra Nath as Captain Ranjit 'Ronny', an army officer and Sulekha's brother
• Zarine Katrak as Jenny, Rakesh's colleague
• Rashid Khan as Madan Gopal Basuriwala, Rakesh's assistant
• Parveen Choudhary as Motiya, Sulekha's friend
• Pratima Devi as Mrs. Karam Chand, Sulekha's mother
• Harindranath Chattopadhyay as Seth Karam Chand, Sulekha's father
• Mumtaz Begum as Mrs. Jagannath, Rakesh's mother
• Om Prakash as Lala Jagannath, Rakesh's father
• Jankidas as the auctioneer

The music was composed by S.D. Burman, and the lyrics were penned by Hasrat Jaipuri. Mohammed Rafi sang three solos for Dev Anand, and two more duets with Lata Mangeshkar. Asha Bhosle also sings one song. "Dil Ki Manzil", which is a cabaret song. Interestingly, there are a few lines of Spanish in the song too.^[14][15]

Track list