At a tender age of sixteen, misfortunes seem to follow Hayate Ayasaki's every step. He strives to make ends meet by holding down numerous part-time jobs to support his extravagant parents, who seem to be absent from his life more often than not. To make matters worse, they suddenly disappear without a trace, leaving him with an immense debt of almost 150 million yen that he must repay.
In his desperate attempt to evade relentless debt collectors, Hayate takes refuge in a park, hoping for safety. Faced with an uncertain future, he decides to kidnap a wealthy child for ransom. But before he can even make an attempt, he spots a wealthy blonde girl who gets kidnapped by someone else.
In a surprising turn of events, Hayate rescues the girl, who turns out to be the daughter of a wealthy family. Grateful for his heroic act, she grants Hayate his wish for a job and makes him her butler. Alas, Hayate's misfortunes continue to haunt him even with a job, as he finds himself tangled in several unpleasant situations that his dreadful luck brings upon him.