In the 18th-century Kingdom of France, Cosse de Brissac, Conrad Nagel, a private in the King's Guard, frees Jeannette Vaubernier when she gets stuck in a pond, and he is instantly charmed by her beauty and spirit. Jeannette Vaubernier, Norma Talmadge, dislikes working in a millinery shop but loves beautiful things, wealth, and the prospect of being in love.
Cosse and Jeannette begin courting. However, their relationship is put in jeopardy when Jeannette is hired to be an “attraction” at the opulent gambling house frequented by aristocrats. She gains the admiration of multiple high-ranking noblemen, and King Louis XV, William Farnum, is intrigued by her reputation. Despite Cosse disapproving of Jeannette’s new employment, he proposes marriage, which she accepts.
The King meets Jeannette while he is disguised as a messenger. When she tries to leave the gambling house, Count Jean Du Barry, Ullrich Haupt, sees her as his ticket to greater wealth and the King’s court. As Jeannette fights Du Barry off, the King is excited by her fiery temperament. He removes his disguise and declares his love, offering her the position of his favorite mistress. Cosse overhears this and, mistakenly believing Jeannette has already accepted the offer, he angrily breaks off the engagement.
Jeannette becomes the King’s mistress and moves into his palace. Count Du Barry claims that she now needs a title, and he offers to sell his exiled brother’s title to her. She refuses but, nonetheless, Jeannette becomes known as “the Countess Du Barry.” She spends money extravagantly and amasses a collection of jewels. The King knows that she is still in love with Cosse, and he insists that she forget him as he will never return to her.
Jeannette meets with the Duc de Brissac, who is both Captain of the King’s Guard and Cosse’s father. The Duc, Hobart Bosworth, informs her that Cosse has likely died, but his whereabouts are unknown. He further mentions that there is starvation in France and commoners hate Jeannette for living an aristocratic lifestyle. Finally, he claims that the last words Cosse spoke to him expressed hate toward her.
The distraught Jeannette decides to get rid of her jewels. Meanwhile, the King’s advisors beg him to repeal the Pacte de Famine to curb the growing rebellion. The King refuses to do so. The Duc discovers Cosse is alive and has become the leader of the rebellion. The King is shocked to learn this, as he imprisoned Cosse months prior.
When a mob tries to storm the palace, Cosse enters Jeannette’s room and she hides him in her bed. He tells her that he became a rebel due to his false imprisonment by the jealous King. Soldiers arrive to search Jeannette’s room and the Duc finds Cosse. Jeannette is horrified that the Duc would betray his own son, but he holds firm in his loyalty to “King and God.”
The King holds a grand party, during which he plans to publicly execute Cosse. He announces that the Duc killed himself shortly after handing over his son. To save Cosse’s life, Jeannette declares her loyalty and love for the King. However, she cannot keep up the charade and breaks down crying. Cosse claims he will bravely face death knowing that she truly loves him. As the soldiers prepare to execute him, Jeannette opens the palace gates and lets in the angry mob. In the midst of the chaos, Cosse escapes.
During the French Revolution, Jeannette is imprisoned due to her connection to the ancien régime. She is condemned to death, but remains hopeful that Cosse will fetch her once she is pardoned. However, he is unable to overturn her sentence. He renounces his loyalty to the French Republic so they may be executed together.
