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Cleo Borden, a saloon dancer and femme fatale, signs an
agreement with cattle rustler Buck Gonzales to marry him if he will deed his
oil-filled land to her. When Gonzales is killed, Cleo instantly
becomes a millionaire. On the ranch, Cleo tries to seduce British land
surveyor Edward Carrington, but he resists her after realizing she placed a
bet on her conquest of him.
Carrington then leaves for the international horse races in
Buenos Aires and Cleo follows, hoping to transform herself into a lady by
entering her own horse "Cactus" into the race. In Buenos Aires, high
society is both amused and appalled by Cleo's bawdy humor and bold style,
while the Russian millionaire Ivan Valadov begins to keep company with her.
Cleo bets Valadov's mistress, Mrs. Crane Brittony, $20,000 that Cactus will
win, and she in turn places $20,000 on her horse, Bonnie Lassie. Lady
Brittony schemes to keep Cactus out of the race, but her plans are foiled by
Cleo's Indian assistant Taho, and Cactus wins.
Meanwhile, Lady Brittony's nephew, Fletcher Colton, an
obsessive gambler, loses his fortune; and Cleo, believing she needs a title
to win Carrington, offers to marry him in name only.
Back in the United States, the new couple resides in
Southampton, where Cleo stages an opera of Samson and Delilah.
Carrington arrives at the gala with the newly-acquired title of Earl of
Stratton to swear his love to Cleo. Meanwhile, Lady Brittony tries to
ruin Cleo's reputation by staging a rendezvous with Cleo and Valadov in
Cleo's boudoir. While Valadov hides in Cleo's room, however, Colton
discovers him and pulls a revolver from Cleo's drawer. The two men
struggle, Colton shoots himself and Cleo is accused of murder. When
Cleo discovers Valadov's cigarette in the ashtray and Taho implicates him
for Colton's murder, however, Valadov confesses Lady Brittony's scheme.
Cleo then becomes Lady Stratton. |
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