Since Zoya Verenskaya's husband passed away ten years ago, she has been devoted to her daughter Lee. At present, Lee is in poor health, and she is in danger of losing her eyesight. Zoya's suitor Dmitry wants to get married, but Zoya is determined to wait until Lee is better. Then, on a vacation in the Crimea, they learn Lee's true feelings for Dmitry, and suddenly all of their lives are thrown into turmoil.

To thwart the manipulative habits of his flirtatious young wife, an old man reads the invaluable book, 'One Thousand and One Feminine Ruses - Practical Directions for Elderly Husbands.' Thanks to the book, the husband manages to foil many of his fickle partner's plans, but she's determined to have the last word.

The lives of two young men-- A virtuous artist who's renounced a background of riches and a debonair swindler proclaimed by many the King of Paris-- intersect when the artist's mother becomes the target of the kingly charlatan.