Emperor Joseph II of Austria and Hungary is uninterested in romance and marriage, so every time his mother arranges for him to meet potential partners, he finds a way to avoid it. This time, he goes on a "tour of inspection" with his close friend von Kleber. However, things become complicated when von Kleber, pretending to be the emperor in order to protect Joseph's identity, falls in love with Christine, their landlady. When Christine writes a letter to the emperor, it is read by Joseph's mother, who is determined to see him marry. She invites Christine to the imperial court.