Shy Mr. Hoppy devises a plan to win the heart of his true love by teaching her a spell to make her tortoise grow bigger. Mr. Hoppy keeps substituting ever-larger tortoises for Mrs. Silver's pet Alfie, in hopes of convincing her to marry him. Mr. Hoppy is smitten with Mrs. Silver, whose main concern is her tortoise. Mr. Hoppy's love for the flowers he grows on his balcony is exceeded only by his love for Mrs. Silver, the lady who lives in the apartment right below his. But because of Mr. Hoppy's shyness and Mrs. SIlver's preoccupation with her pet tortoise, his love remains unrequited, until he shares four "magic" words with Mrs. Silver.