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Lady of the Harem was based on Hassan, a play by James McElroy Flecker. It all begins when the Caliph of Kornassah (Sojin) sends his minions out to find him more gold and more women. His henchmen return with gorgeous blonde captive Pervannah (Greta Nissen), whose sweetheart Rafi (William Collier Jr.) immediately races to the rescue. Rallying hundreds of peasants who are weary of the Caliph's despotism, Rafi stages a raid on the palace. The terrified Caliph escapes into the city, where he disguises himself as a humble street merchant. Eventually mounting a counteroffensive, the Caliph is restored to his palace, where he prepares to torture Rafi while Pervannah looks on in horror. But at the last moment, the Caliph's second-in-command Hassan (Ernest Torrence) rebels against his master, assumes control of the throne, and frees the hero and heroine. Louise Fazenda has an amusing role as a busy courtesan who can't keep track of her customers. The main selling angle of Lady of the Harem was, of course, the harem itself, wherein the many wives of the Caliph cavorted about in as little clothing as possible. It's curiosity that director Raoul Walsh seldom brought up the subject of this film in his later interviews.