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Montgomery Brewster's billionaire great-grandfather has died and left him $300 million.  But there's a catch:  to qualify for the $300 million, Monty has to spend the first $30 million in thirty days--and have absolutely no assets to show at the end of the month.  It seems the old man wants to teach Monty a lesson about wealth, and cause him to grow so thoroughly sick of money that he'll never be tempted by excess again.  To make things even more complicated, as a condition of the will, Monty can't just give the money away, and he can't tell anyone why he's squandering his inheritance or he'll lose the remainder.

Brewster's predicament is an excellent illustration of the economic concept of opportunity costs, and the idea that there's no such thing as a free lunch.  Monty's decision to give up a sure thing and risk losing it all against the possibility of a greater gain in the future is an apt metaphor for every capitalist entrepreneur.

Brewster's choices even affect those around him:  while his best friend, Spike Nolan, remains faithful and supportive, the money brings out the worst in other friends and relatives, particularly the bankers in charge of the will.  Accountant Angela Drake also proves to be an exception to the rule; she is unimpressed with Brewster's money and outraged by the sudden change of personality in her yuppie boyfriend when Monty hires him at an outrageous fee to redecorate his hotel suite.

As for Brewster himself, the money just makes him hysterical.  A relief pitcher for a minor-league team, Monty's one real passion is baseball. He and Spike are veterans of the Hackensack Bulls, a third-rate team with a railroad track running through its outfield, and one of the ways Brewster contrives to spend money is to realize his lifelong dream of playing the New York Yankees.

However, even after he buys new uniforms for his team and arranges a special exhibition game with the world champions, he realizes that he still has to spend like crazy in order to keep his fortune.  In doing so, he works up a fine frenzy of extravagance, ordering $160 bottles of wine for dozens of strangers; betting on long shots at the race track; indiscriminately financing an exotic mixture of business schemes; and finally hatching a plot to run for mayor of New York City under the campaign slogan: "I'll only make things worse, and that's a promise."

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ASSIGNMENT