In love with his cousin, the gentle Émeline, a country gentleman, unaware of matters of love, decides to go to Paris, in order to lose his candor. She will prefer to avoid this hazardous and problematic move.
Chénérol, a wealthy merchant, one day discovers that his wife is having an affair and that his nephew is playing with him. Indeed, the latter, Théodore, does not work but earns money by using a few dirty tricks.