Trama

Having no use for women of his own rank, the Duke of Poltava falls in love with Eve, a peasant girl whom he sends to Paris to be educated preparatory to becoming his duchess. Having learned all the secrets of femininity in the shops and salons of the French capital, Eve joins the Duke at the Villa d'Or on the Riviera, where the duke, made suspicious by Eve's poise and beauty, attempts to keep other men away from her. Pierre then arrives on the beach, intent on going through the small fortune left him by his uncle. Pierre meets Eve, and it is love at first sight. He soon angers the duke, and they fight a duel, with Pierre wounding the duke. Pierre then goes to Eve and claims her for his own, but she rejects him and returns to the duke, to whom she expresses her undying love.—AFI

In the little French village of d'Enville, Eve, niece of the village cobbler, has a flirtation with Pierre, a tailor's apprentice. Pierre dreams of Monte Carlo and beautiful women while he works at his craft. Overlooking the village is the chateau of Henri, the Duke of Poltava. Henri's temper has earned him the title of "The Killer." Henri discovers his fiancée in the arms of another man. In the ensuing duel with pistols, Henri kills his rival. With the smoking pistol still in his hand, he orders everyone out of his home, including the woman who had betrayed him. His aunt pleads with him, telling him his fiancée was so beautiful, so eligible. He must marry to continue the Poltava line. "I shall marry the first decent woman I meet," he angrily replies. Looking out his window, he spies Eve approaching his home, carrying his riding boots, repaired by her uncle. He finds the girl charming. The next day, Henri makes arrangements with the cobbler to send Eve away to be educated, at Henri's expense, as a Duchess. No one else in the village is to know of the arrangement. Eve is thrilled at the prospect. She waves goodbye to Pierre, and some tears fill her eyes. Three years later, a transformed Eve is living in a luxurious apartment in Monte Carlo. She is polished, beautiful, but bored - tired of wealth, tired of Henri's constant demands that she marry him, tired of his jealousy. In d'Enville, Pierre has obtained a small fortune from his uncle. He determines to spend it in Monte Carlo. When he arrives, he scatters his money. "He must be a prince," say all the beautiful women. But Pierre only has eyes for Eve, even though neither recognizes the other, yet. Henri redoubles his jealousy when Prince Boris becomes enamored of Eve. Henri orders him away. Eve then gets a letter asking her to meet for dinner, and it is signed "Boris." Eve sends the letter to Henri, and then sets off for the dinner. She is astonished to discover that Henri is waiting for her, and he admits he wrote the letter. Eve becomes enraged. She declares that she will dine with a man - any man - that very night. Henri says he will kill the man if she does. Eve defies him, and tells him to look on the hotel balcony at eight o'clock. Pierre has been warned of Henri's threat, but at eight, he dines with Eve on the balcony. Eve waves to Henri in the distance, who bows menacingly. It is then that Pierre realizes he is being used to spite Henri. When Pierre and Henri go to his suite, she suddenly recognizes him. She tells him who she is, and he tells her that he loves her. Eve declares she has been restless and must have been wanting him. Then, remembering Henri's threat, she pleads with Pierre to flee, but he refuses. Henri enters the room, but then, thinking that Eve really does love the boy, holds his temper. But Pierre strikes Henri across the mouth, precipitating a duel. At dawn, the pair meet on the beach. Pierre wounds Henri, who does not fire until he has been struck. Henri then displays his marksmanship by decapitating a flower growing on the cliff above them. Pierre, jubilant in victory, rushes to Eve. But Eve now realizes beyond a doubt that it is Henri she really loves. A crestfallen Pierre is left to console himself by relating, to his awestruck admirers, how he won the duel.