The book is based on the French comedy Le souris d'hôtel by Marcel Gerbidon and Paul Armont[1] and concerns a female cat burglar in Monte Carlo given the nickname "the hotel mouse" by the local police; one of her marks falls in love with her.

"[5] The show did not play at the Astor; after Caryll's death, it was completed, renamed The Hotel Mouse, and produced at the Shubert three months later with a different cast and with music mostly by Armand Vecsey.

[1] The original cast included Frances White as Mauricette, Taylor Holmes as Wally Gordon, Barnett Parker as Burroughs and Fay Marbe as Lola.

... She has a new song with a riddle in it – one that the audience demanded to hear six or seven times last night, and which, as Miss White sang it, was well worth the encores.”[6] The Broadway production was followed by a tour.

An accomplished cat burglar and master of disguise, she has the uncanny skill to sneak in and out of hotels on the Riviera and steal jewelry from the rich patrons.