Krishna Dhwaj, the son of the Maharajah of Rhamput, is in love with Lakshima, the daughter of the Maharajah of Bhartari, but their fathers will not allow them to marry. Krishna is then sent to Harvard to get an American education. Lakshima, determined to kill herself when her father orders her to marry an old man, jumps into the ocean. She does not drown, however, but is rescued by George Morling, a Bostonian, who smuggles her on board his ship dressed in boy's clothing. George, the son of a minister, is engaged to a proper Bostonian woman. Although he has not behaved improperly, George fears that his fiancé and her father will not understand the situation, and so he hides Lakshima in a trunk. Once back in Boston, George's fiancé discovers Lakshima and is horrified, but after several misunderstandings, George and his fiancé are reconciled, and Lakshima is able to find and marry her Indian sweetheart Krishna.