The plot of ''Stand-In'' concerns the takeovers of Hollywood studios that occurred during the Great Depression. Fowler Pettypacker (Tully Marshall), a Wall Street banker, is debating whether or not to accept an offer from Ivor Nassau (C. Henry Gordon) to buy "Colossal Pictures," a fictional film studio on Poverty Row. The studio has not been turning a profit, but financial analyst Atterbury Dodd (Leslie Howard) advises against selling. He stakes his reputation on his mathematical calculations that show Colossal should turn a profit. The bank sends Dodd to Hollywood as the new head of the studio.