 René, the impoverished but debonair Count of Luxemburg, is sharing a garret in Montmartre with his artist friend, Armand Brissard, who is in turn in love with Juliette Vermont, a dancer and the model for his latest painting.Meanwhile, a middle-aged Russian prince, Basil Basilowitsch, is infatuated with the young opera singer, Angèle Didier.However, he cannot marry her because she is a commoner.