Princess Sylvia refuses to marry the Emperor Maximilian of Rhaetia because his proposal has been offered for diplomatic rather than romantic reasons. Learning that Maximilian is traveling to a hunting lodge in a small village, Sylvia follows him, disguised as an untitled English girl, and the emperor immediately falls in love with her. Later, when she saves his life from an assassin at the palace, Maximilian offers to marry her. This disturbs the Prime Minister, who becomes alarmed at the thought of his emperor marrying a commoner, and he sends for Sylvia's brother, who agrees to unmask the supposed adventuress. The unmasking only reveals the Princess Sylvia, however, who then accepts Maximilian's proposal because it is offered from his heart.