the young count georg wolkersheim (willy fritsch) is sent to the congress of vienna (1814-1815) to represent the interests of his country, reuss-schleiz-greiz. tensions arise between the count, his wife melanie (maria holst), and their two chamberlains (hans moser and theo lingen), and when the four of them attend a court ball, melanie leaves georg, assumes the identity of a famous actress, and attracts the affections of crown prince ludwig of bavaria (fred liewehr). georg quits the ball and returns to his lodgings to wait for his wife. meanwhile, the two servants plot to further inflame georg's jealousy by posing as ludwig to commission a portrait of melanie from the famous artist moritz daffinger (egon von jordan). the next day, however, georg and daffinger expose the servants' ruse, ludwig reveals to melanie that he has discovered her true identity, and all is forgiven.