The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo

Paul Gaillard amasses ten million francs with a long run of luck at the Monte Carlo baccarat table, a fortune so large he must carry the notes in a suitcase. The casino staff and management shower him with signs of luck—four-leaf clovers, a horseshoe, even a hunchback—yet none of it persuades him to stay. He is also quoted in newspapers advising people to stay away from Monte Carlo, which complicates the casino's perception of him.

The casino management tries to entice him to stay, scattering signs of luck along his path and making the casino seem irresistible. Paul remains determined to depart, uninterested in the temptations offered to keep him there. His departure is driven by his own free-spirited gamble rather than any casino charm.

On the dining car of the train, Paul meets the beautiful Helen Berkeley when they share a table. He overhears Helen speaking with a male companion about Switzerland, hinting at future plans. The chance encounter plants the seeds for a romantic entanglement that will drive the plot.

In Paris, at the Cafe Russe, Paul distributes money among the staff who saved for ten years to build up their initial stake. His generosity endears him to the workers and paints a more humane side of the gambler. The act contrasts with his earlier ruthlessness at the tables.

The next day, Paul and his servant Ivan travel by train to Interlaken, Switzerland. Helen is mistakenly placed in Paul's compartment; he attempts to charm her, but she rebuffs him. She then learns that the man with her is her brother, Bertrand, setting up future complications.

Paul pursues Helen with persistence, and they begin spending time together in Interlaken. She confides that she is unhappy because she is set to marry for money to help her brother, who needs 5 million francs. Paul’s growing affection deepens as he contemplates offering aid while falling for her.

Helen explains that she is unhappy about marrying a 63-year-old man to help her brother. Paul offers nearly 4 million francs of his winnings to support her brother, but she does not accept the money and instead asks him to spend a week with her in Monte Carlo. They agree to a plan that will test their feelings.

They spend a week together in Monte Carlo, and it turns out Helen is a back street music hall performer hired to lure him back, but she has fallen in love with him. Too ashamed to face Paul again, she secretly departs for Paris. The deception backfires as genuine affection has developed.

After Helen vanishes, Paul makes a bargain with Bertrand: he will obtain the money the brother claims to need in exchange for locating Helen. Bertrand lies and tells him that she went to Monte Carlo, steering the pursuit astray. The deceit escalates the couple's separation.

Helen runs into Bertrand at the train station and learns what he has done to separate them. She races to Monte Carlo to find Paul and set things right. The pursuit shifts from rumor to direct action as she tries to reconnect with him.

Paul returns to the baccarat table in Monte Carlo, enduring a brutal cycle of luck and loss. He loses nearly all his money at first, then catches a fresh streak and seems poised to break the bank again. In a cruel twist, he loses everything on the final bet.

Leaving the casino, Paul sees Helen and Bertrand emerge from the manager's office and congratulates them, appearing to support their success. He resigns from gambling and returns to his old life driving a taxi, a stark reversal from his previous glory. The moment marks a pivot to a quieter, more intimate pursuit of love.

By chance, Paul takes a fare to a nightclub where Helen is performing. He dons his black tie and tails and goes inside, dancing one number with Helen before driving away with her. The pair’s connection deepens as he stages a return to her world without pretending to be rich.

Helen chases him in another taxi and finally catches up to him at the Cafe Russe. She discovers he is the driver, not a paying passenger, and her joy turns to love. They celebrate privately with the Russian nobility staff inside the closed Cafe Russe, marking the late Czar Nicholas II's birthday in grand fashion.