An ex-businessman, ruined and reduced to living under bridges, uses the name of one of his companions in misfortune, Rothchild, to organize a vast scam.
The young Paulette is placed by her tutor in a boarding school in Lausanne. It is at the neighboring dance hall, by running away for a short time, that she will find love.
With the carnival in full swing, the circus ringmaster is waiting for the new lion tamer, Margante. A young girl introduces herself under this name and is hired on a trial basis. The real Margante introduces herself in turn, but soon runs away, terrified by the story the young impostor tells her of...
