A foolish letter, written by a young girl, Louise, to her young lover, Prosper, hidden in their post-office, a statue. Three years later the girl returns, the wife of Baron Ravel. The lover also returns, and both try to get possession of the letter in the statue, their efforts producing many comedy situations. A mischievous cousin, Suzanne, sees them, and interferes just as Prosper succeeds in lifting the statue. The letter falls to the floor. Dinner is announced. Suzanne remains with Prosper and begs for the letter. He refuses; she wagers she will get the letter and make him burn it before her eyes. He accepts. The search takes place in Prosper’s rooms, in which he conducts Suzanne, and laughingly goes out. In possible and impossible places she searches finally finding it in an old envelope in a tobacco jar. Meanwhile Louise, growing impatient, takes a handsome shawl and comes to Prosper’s rooms. The Baron, recognizing the shawl, follows. Louise is hidden, but she leaves the shawl. Suzanne claims to have worn it and the Baron leaves, Louise going home by another way. Suzanna destroys all matches, twists the letter up and throws it on the hearth. When Prosper returns she pretends to be asleep. On awakening she asks for a cigarette. Prosper, finding no matches, lights the twisted letter in the fireplace and then throws it out the window. The scrap of paper is picked up by the Baron, an old naturalist receives it from him and wraps a beetle in it. Suzanne and Prosper, alarmed, make a desperate bunt for the scrap of paper. They enter the drawing-room just as the Baron is about to read it. Suzanne quickly claims it as hers, Prosper declaring he wrote it. Taking a candle from the table, Suzanne begs Prosper to burn it, he refusing unless she will marry him. The scrap of paper is burned and four people made happy.