Professor Tidewater tours Ireland with his two daughters to investigate the origins of ghost stories. After the girls leave him at Belmore Castle, reputed to be haunted, the Hindu caretaker Sakes relates the following tale: Henry Claven, Sakes' master, courted his beautiful neighbor Betty Truesdale, but when she became engaged to Captain Bob Lambert, Claven precipitated a duel by telling Lambert that he knew his mother was a negress

Parisian opera star Nora Harrigan is idolized by legions but not her rival Flora Desimone. Edward Courtlandt pursues her, but she rejects him in favor of Herr Rosen. Nora is abducted but by whom is a mystery though Courtlandt is suspected. Once free Nora goes to the south of France accompanied by her parents. By chance she again meets Courtlandt and though she has lost interest in Herr Rosen she remains cool to Edward. Subsequently, Courtlandt discovers that Rosen was responsible for Nora's abduction and Nora finds that Flora and Courtlandt were once married. However, Flora's husband intervenes, forcing his wife to explain the misunderstanding and thus clearing all obstacles from love's path.