Suzanne Beulemans's fiancé, Séraphin Meulenmeester, once tells her that he has... a mistress and a... son! The bad news falls rather well though given that Suzanne has developed a fondness for Albert Delpierre, a young Frenchman who has come to Brussels to study the brewing methods of her father. She decides to break up amicably but Séraphin does not dare admit it to his father, who becomes angry with the Beulemanses. Suzanne's uncle, a vicar, tries to settle the whole thing but the coronation of King Albert I gives rise to renewed resentment. Suzanne finally finds the way to solve the problem: she takes Meulenmeester apart, reminds him of his own misconduct when he was a young man, asks him to forgive Séraphin while her own father accepts Albert as his son-in-law.
