At a banquet, Mrs. Brown realizes she left her pearl necklace at home. Overhearing this, a guest named Wells—secretly a burglar—feigns illness to rob her apartment. The Browns return unexpectedly, forcing Wells to hide. When nearly caught, Wells blackmails Mrs. Brown into hiding him in a closet by threatening to frame her for infidelity. He is eventually discovered and immediately accuses her of having an affair. Mrs. Brown faces the impossible task of convincing her husband that the hidden man is a thief, not her lover.