It's 1932, and 20-year-old orphaned tobacco heir Smith Reynolds has returned from New York to his family's Winston-Salem estate with a surprise souvenir: a wife. The new Mrs. Reynolds is notorious Broadway star Libby Holman, a dozen years older than Smith. She arrives with a trunkload of gin and an acting coach who is quite possibly insane.
Smith's guardian, Kate Reynolds, attempts to manage the scandal - giving Libby a crash course in Southern decorum. A party is thrown to introduce the newlyweds to society, but it's flat-out ruined when the groom turns up dead.
The guests are gathered to reconstruct the evening's events for a beleaguered County Solicitor, but they fail spectacularly, which shouldn't be a surprise.
For Southerners, the truth isn't nearly as important as a good story.

Content Advisory: Swell Party explores adult themes including manipulative behavior, alcohol use, suicide, and murder. It's still a comedy, though