A libidinous count, out of his wife's sight, pursues a mysterious woman. The town's mayor knows she is Geraldine, a femme fatale. He hatches a plot to help his nephew, Enrico, stage an opera he composed: the mayor tells the count that the mystery woman is his nephew's wife, Ottavia. Geraldine is willing to play along; she goes to Enrico's house to receive the count as Ottavia. Ottavia, shy and plain, lies low at Geraldine's, where the maid dresses and schools her. Enrico proves possessive of Geraldine, she enjoys Enrico's jealousy, the count stomps over to Geraldine's, and Ottavia may take revenge with the count for Enrico's attentions to Geraldine. Will the opera reach the stage?