Plot
Set during the final days of Imperial Russia, Adoration tells the story of Prince Serge Orloff (Antonio Moreno) and Princess Elena (Billie Dove), whose love is tested by political upheaval, mistaken identity, and betrayal.
On the eve of Prince Serge’s departure for military service, a grand ball is held at the Orloff palace in Petrograd. During the festivities, Serge becomes increasingly jealous of Count Vladimir (Nicholas Soussanin), a fellow aristocrat whose attentions toward Princess Elena are conspicuous. Unbeknownst to Serge, Vladimir is also involved in a romantic entanglement with Ninette (Lucy Doraine), Elena’s French maid.
Later that evening, Ninette wraps herself in Elena’s distinctive cloak and visits Count Vladimir at his residence. At the same time, the Russian Revolution erupts in Petrograd. Serge, bloodied and battered in the chaos, stumbles past Vladimir’s home and sees what he believes to be his wife entering. He follows, finds Elena’s cloak inside, and becomes convinced of her unfaithfulness. Vladimir denies Elena is present, but Serge refuses to believe him. The two men engage in a brutal fight, only to be interrupted when a revolutionary mob storms the house. Both are left unconscious.
The narrative then shifts to Paris, where exiled members of the former Russian aristocracy are forced to take up humble professions. Elena now works as a fashion model (mannequin), and Serge, shattered by what he believes was his wife's betrayal, has become an alcoholic and works as a waiter in a low-class café. Emotionally and physically deteriorated, he lives only in bitterness.
Through the assistance of a former general, Murajev (Emile Chautard), now reduced to shining shoes, Elena discovers Serge’s whereabouts. When she confronts him, he accuses her of infidelity and refuses to accept her denial. Determined to prove her innocence, Elena seeks out Ninette, who is now living comfortably. Misunderstanding Elena’s motives, Ninette assumes she is trying to rekindle a relationship with Vladimir for personal gain and helps her locate him.
Elena visits Count Vladimir at his luxurious apartment. He misinterprets her visit as a romantic advance. When she clarifies that she has come solely to make him admit the truth about the night of the revolution, he refuses to let her leave and confesses his continued obsession with her.
Meanwhile, Serge, still believing himself wronged, follows Elena to Vladimir’s apartment. Armed with a revolver and resolved to end the matter with three bullets—one for Vladimir, one for Elena, and one for himself—he bursts in and confronts them. With the gun aimed at her, Elena insists once more that she was never there that night. At that moment, Ninette arrives. Pressured by Vladimir, she confesses that she—not Elena—visited him while wearing her mistress’s cloak.
The revelation clears Elena’s name, but Serge, devastated by his misjudgment, leaves in shame, believing himself unworthy of her love. Later, Elena sees him again—this time working as a chauffeur in the rain. Though humbled, he is now sober, clear-eyed, and emotionally transformed. Moved by their enduring bond, Elena joins him, and together they return to her modest apartment, ready to begin a new life in exile.
==Cast== (with roles played after the Russian revolution in parentheses)
- Billie Dove as Princess Elena (Mannequin at modiste shop & Waitress at Russian Cafe in Paris)
- Antonio Moreno as Prince Serge Orloff (Waiter at low cafe in Paris)
- Emile Chautard as General Murajev (Bootblack in Paris)
- Lucy Doraine as Ninette the French Maid (Working at gambling house in Paris)
- Nicholas Bela as Ivan the Valet (Head waiter at Russian Cafe in Paris)
- Nicholas Soussanin as Count Vladimir (Proprietor of gambling house in Paris)
- Winifred Bryson as Baroness (Waitress at Russian Cafe in Paris)
- Lucien Prival as Baron (Proprietor of modiste shop In Paris)
