Madame Scarapapolos, a filthily-rich Greek woman, long believed widowed of a man who had made his fortune in Caribbean real estate, was disgruntled one day to learn that her maid had run off with the chauffeur. She decided to replace the madameoiselle, but in order to do so she had to hand-pick a girl who could satisfy her most stringent desires. She therefore made inquiries all over the continent and invited the three most recommended young women to her estate: a Swiss, the daughter of a curate; A French, youngest daughter of a poor physician; and a Finnish orphan, debarassed by an aging great-aunt.