In this intricately plotted crime comedy, Johannes Heesters plays the worldly insurance detective Peter Holm, who is determined to apprehend jewel thief Robert Makaroff. To this end, Holm travels to Copenhagen, where the Hungarian actress Lilly Hegedüsch is staying at a luxury hotel with her rare jewelry. While Holm is searching for Makaroff, Jenny, the sleuthing daughter of Holm's boss, arrives in Copenhagen. Since Jenny doesn't know her secret admirer Holm, numerous mix-ups and suspicions ensue before the rival detectives become lovers.

Xanten am Rhein, 1870/1871. Roffer Rottwinkel has two sons. His favorite is Mathias, whom he prefers to Lonius, a quiet and introspective man. Lonius, for his part, is shyly revering Christine ... and his brother's in love with her, too. For this reason, the father sends Lonius away, to fight in the Franco-Prussian War, which turns the introverted boy into a brave and strong man. Highly decorated, he returns home. In the meantime, his brother Mathias and Christine are unhappily married. Mathias is slipping more and more and finally becomes a con man. As Lonius is still very much in love with Christine, he wishes to save his father's business from ruin and rebels against his brother, who now goes to extremes.

Brandenburg an der Havel, 2nd half of the 19th Century: the barber Fritz Bollmann is running his old-fashion barbershop and is well known, while another barber Jean Blank is more modern and haute-couture, who sees him as a huge competitor. When Bollmann wanted to leave to store to go fishing, what he loves, a boy asked for a haircut, but due to his anger he cuts him almost all of his hair. This leads the kids to play a trick upon him and when they through things in the lake in order for Bollmann to fall into the water while fishing, they write a mocking song about him. The song is spread all over the town, much to the hate of Bollmann himself. But he doesn't give up and is off to fight back.