As they are leaving the church following their wedding, Count Adrian Beltrami and Countess Anna-Marie are told that the Austrians are marching on the town to quell an Italian uprising. The bride and relatives induce the count to flee to his castle, but Tangy, a silhouette cutter, brings word from the revolutionary committee asking him to return; the count goes, asking Tangy to pose as the count and protect Anna-Marie. Vultow, the leader of the Austrians, determined to seduce Anna-Marie, learns of Adrian's identity and orders him shot at sunrise unless she submits. Drunk with champagne, Vultow falls asleep and dreams that Anna-Marie comes to him willingly, and later, believing he has conquered her, he consents to Adrian's freedom. When he learns of this trick of fate, however, a hurried dispatch obliges him to depart, and the count and countess are reunited.