Olivia Dangerfield, daughter of a proud but impoverished Virginia family, is forced to lease the family mansion to a wealthy New York widow to pay off the mortgage. When the servants fail to arrive, with the exception of Doris, a maid, she has her brother Charles impersonate the butler while she herself assumes the position of cook. Mrs. Falkner arrives with her daughter, Cora, and Burton Crane, a prospective match, but Cora falls in love with Charles, the "butler"; through little Doris, Mrs. Falkner learns of the affair, which is confirmed when she sees Charles and Cora together at a Negro jubilee. Then Doris informs Mrs. Falkner that Olivia is the owner of the house, and the incensed widow prepares to leave; but Cora and Charles announce their engagement, leaving clear the path to romance for Olivia and Burton.