An orphan named Marie has been raised from infancy by a French army regiment whose soldiers love her for her beautiful songs, her cheerfulness, and her beauty. She has fallen in love with the handsome Tonio, who joins the regiment just to be near her.

When her aunt, the Marquise of Berkenfield, discovers her by chance while traveling in the region, she demands that Marie be returned to her family to take her rightful place as a noblewoman, married to a nobleman. An unraveling chain of family secrets and the sudden appearance of Tonio and the entire regiment scandalize Marie's stuffy in-laws-to-be and derail her arranged wedding.