When ballerina Fanni learns that the Vienese archduke, Paul Gustave, is expected to be in the audience of her next performance, she immediately makes plans to court the wealthy bachelor and spurn Willy Fitch, her sweetheart.

When Lisl arrives at the archduke's palace, she is subjected to a rigorous physical inspection by Szereny to ensure that she meets Paul's requirements, an examination that she finds offensive and degrading.

When she finally meets Paul, he is less than amorous and immediately tells her that his relationship with her will have nothing to do with love, and that she will be expected to live in special quarters in the house and not disturb him.

However, Toni immediately permits Lisl to resume her romance with Paul when he learns that the archduke intends to finance his ballet.

Andre Sennwald in The New York Times wrote, "According to the current standards of costumed musical romances, "The Night Is Young" is invincibly correct".