A Breath of Scandal

In Austria in 1907, Princess Olympia is exiled from the court of the emperor, Frances Joseph I, for "scandalous indiscretions" that caused her ex-husband to attempt suicide. Bored and impetuous, Olympia rides her wild stallion to her remote hunting cabin, and on the way is thrown from the horse when a mining engineer from Pittsburgh, Charles Foster, drives his automobile off the road. Feigning an injury to attract the handsome man's attention, Olympia skillfully manipulates Charlie into carrying her all the way to the lodge. There, she introduces herself as Lucretia, a peasant farmer, and attempts to seduce the diffident Charlie, whose American mores forbid him to consider taking advantage of a young lady. She asks to don Charlie's pajamas, after which he mistakenly administers a headache tonic that puts her to sleep, foiling her plans to share his bed. In the morning, Olympia awakens to find a note from Charlie proclaiming his love. Although she sees her pajama bottoms on the floor, she does not remember that she passed out and then kicked them off during the night, and so remains unsure about the events of the evening. While Charlie is outside fixing his jalopy, Olympia returns home, where she is informed that the emperor has finally pardoned her. Thrilled, she rushes back to Vienna without sending word to Charlie. At the home of her parents, Prince Philip and Princess Eugenie, Olympia learns that she is to be married to Prussia's Prince Ruprecht, their union intended to unite the two countries. Eugenie warns Olympia that her behavior must remain flawless until the wedding occurs, as any breath of scandal will destroy the accord. While they plan a party to welcome Ruprecht, Charlie, who hopes to negotiate with Philip for his company to mine bauxite in Vienna, arrives at the palace, where Philip admires the car. Inside, Charlie is denied an audience with Philip, but upon hearing about the party, determines to sneak in. On the night of the party, as Charlie slips in with the orchestra, Countess Lina Schwatzenfeld plots to discredit Olympia, hoping to continue her affair with Ruprecht, through which she has finagled an important post for her husband Albert. As Ruprecht and Olympia dance, Charlie finds his way to Philip's study, where he corners the amiable prince and attempts to convince him to champion his business proposition to the emperor. Spotting Olympia, Charlie cuts in on her dance with Ruprecht, and although she remains attracted to the American, she asks him to leave. Lina notices the guards leading Charlie away and has him followed, so that the next day, she is able to invite him to attend Olympia's equestrian contest with her. Lina also invites Count Sandor, the emperor's minister of protocol, who reports any moral indiscretions to the court. When, in front of Sandor, Lina questions Charlie about his relationship to Olympia, Charlie realizes she is trying to smear the princess' reputation, and later tells Olympia that he will remain silent in exchange for a date with her that night. She brings him to a cabaret where they will not be recognized, and there explains to him the mores of her society: aristocrats marry for politics rather than love, then conduct affairs on the side. Charlie is scandalized, especially when he spots Philip with can-can dancer Yvette. He takes Olympia home, where she cannot prevent herself from kissing him passionately. Her mother has seen them, and the next morning instructs Olympia to "kill" the affair immediately in order to save her chances of marrying Ruprecht. Downstairs, Charlie has a meeting with Philip in which the prince, impressed with his modern dynamism, advises him that the emperor takes years to make business decisions, but Charlie, deeply in love, answers that he is happy to wait. Afterward, however, Olympia coldly asks him to leave, claiming that he "tires" her, and hides her tears as he storms away. Later, Sandor informs Eugenie that Olympia is under investigation, as Lina has accused her of having an affair with Charlie. When Sandor leaves to question Charlie, Olympia, who cannot be sure that her evening at the lodge with Charlie was innocent, sends for the American once again to plead for him to protect her honor. Furious, Charlie insists that Olympia spend a weekend with him at the lodge in return for his silence. Frightened at his forcefulness, Olympia remains cold and distant but promises him whatever he wants. When he tries to seduce her, however, he falters, and tells her she can leave. Now freed from her contract, Olympia confesses her love and they embrace, but when he realizes that she only wants him as her lover and still plans to marry Ruprecht, Charlie walks out in frustration. Back at the palace, Eugenie has claimed that Olympia has the measles, but Lina's machinations expose the lie, and Olympia is called before the emperor. There, while Charlie learns that his proposal has been rejected, the emperor excuses Olympia, who is once again free to marry Ruprecht. Philip pulls her aside, however, to counsel her to choose love, and when she points out that he has a mistress, the prince admits that he dates Yvette merely for appearance's sake. Convinced, Olympia runs out to Charlie, who nearly runs her down in his car. Although she is uninjured, Olympia asks Charlie to carry her¿if Pittsburgh is not too far.