In a prologue, Prince Alexis of Veseria, to save the life of his motherless son Paul, surrenders his throne to Nicholas the Usurper and goes to live in exile under an assumed name. Twenty-two years later, Nicholas' dissolute son King Stefan, now married to Queen Sonia, whom the people love, is warned by his ministers that the people, already sad that Stefan has no heir, do not approve of his undignified behavior. When Stefan repulsively kisses Sonia, she leaves for Switzerland and writes that she will not return unless Stefan reforms. In Lucerne, Sonia meets Paul Verdayne, who, to her delight, courts her, but she returns when Stefan falls ill. Learning of an intrigue to put a successor on the throne, Sonia vows that only a rightful heir shall rule. After her companion Anna suspects that Paul may be the Crown Prince, Sonia confirms this by finding three moles on his arm. They have a romance, which is interrupted because of Stefan's paralysis. After Sonia's child is born, Stefan, suffering from brain fever, has her killed. Sonia's faithful bodyguard Dimitri then kills Stefan. In an epilogue, Paul, an unknown onlooker, witnesses the church's blessing on his son, the young king.