A pretty woman of low social status feels unsatisfied with her husband and her life. She gets the opportunity to attend a ball of sorts, and feels that she must look "high class" so she borrows a diamond necklace from her friend. She goes to the ball, and relishes in feeling special. When she gets home, however, she finds that the necklace is missing. She and her husband search desperately for it, but cannot find it. They go to a shop, and see that the same necklace is being sold for a huge amount of money. They purchase it, vowing to pay off the debt. It takes them years, but after working ceaselessly, the pay off all the debt. By that time, the woman has completely lost her beauty. She bumps into the old friend on the street, and confesses to her that she had lost her original necklace, and had just paid off the debt on the one that she had been given to replace it. The friend is in shock, and tells her that the necklace that she had given her was a fake, and cost almost nothing.