World-famous escape artiste Zuleika Dobson, while visiting Oxford, meets the Duke of Dorset. Spellbound by Zuleika, the Duke makes the same blunder her (many) previous suitors have made – he treats her like a prize, not a person. After she rejects him, the Duke threatens to drown himself for love of her, and Zuleika becomes interested in his . . . sincerity. Unfortunately, the rest of the men on campus, all smitten, threaten to follow suit hoping to also win Zuleika's affections. Horrified by the social implications, Zuleika sets out to prevent mass-suicide . . . and learns the meaning of true love along the way.

Based on "Zuleika Dobson, an Oxford Romance" by Sir Max Beerbohm.