A foundling is left in front of the home of a rich aristocratic bachelor during the Nice carnival. The marquis adopts the child but soon finds that he cannot cope, so he employs a nanny who turns out to be the child's real mother. Just as the two have fallen in love and there is a happy ending in sight, the woman's husband - long thought dead - turns up.

Tells the story of the adventures of the resourceful Scheherazade. Newly married to Shahryar, a deranged monarch who murders his brides after the wedding night, Scheherazade manages to keep her head by entertaining her husband with exciting stories and always trailing off at the most infuriating cliffhangers.