Helen Steele, bored with her high society lifestyle, makes a bet with theatrical producer Sydney Parker that she can make mining engineer Jack Craigen, who has just returned from the jungles of South America, propose to her in three days. If Helen succeeds, Parker will cast her as the siren in his upcoming play. Jack tells Helen civilized women have a lot of "permanently wrong ideas" and that male cannibals show their love by pulling their women around by their hair. Helen's theatrics are successful and Jack falls in love with her and proposes to her while a home phonograph recorder captures his words. When Jack hears the recording being played to a roomful of people, he accuses Helen of making a mockery of him. Helen's fiancé, Bob Tracy, then enters and finds Helen without her ring and scolds her. Jack abducts Helen in his plane and takes her to his cabin, where he drags her around like a cannibal, accusing her of being shrewish. He then puts a bear collar on her and chains her to the fireplace. Jack discovers that someone has broken into his cabin, and "Boney," an escaped mental patient from nearby Sunnyvale institution who believes he is Napoleon, emerges from the attic. When reporter Fitzpatrick phones to tell Jack that Tracy is on his way with a gun, Jack releases Helen, who knocks him out during a kiss and escapes to the ranger station. Boney then hides Jack, and Fitzpatrick arrives and thinks Boney is Jack. Eventually, Jack wakes and Fitzpatrick frees him, then orders the ranger to return Helen. After Tracy arrives with a gun and Jack disarms him, Boney asks Jack if he loves "Madame le duchess." Jack admits he is sorry for overreacting to Helen recording his proposal. The ranger drags Helen to Jack's cabin, where Parker explains the bet to Jack and awards Helen the role. Two men from Sunnyvale then reclaim Boney, who makes Jack Field Marshal of France, then shouts that the duchess loves Lafayette. Helen and Jack then kiss.