The title compound, C 17H 24N 2O 3S, was synthesized in order to determine the relative configuration of the corresponding β-keto aldehyde. In the U-shaped molecule, the five-membered ring approximates an envelope with the methylene atom adjacent to the quaternary C atom being the flap. The dihedral angles between the four nearly coplanar atoms of the five-membered ring and the flap and the aromatic ring are 38.8 (4) and 22.9 (2)°, respectively. The bond angles around the S atom are in the range 104.11 (16)–119.95 (16)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked via N—H⋯O by hydrogen bonds, forming a chain along the a-axis direction.