A Russian grand duchess, in order to avoid a marriage imposed on her by her family, pretends to have fallen in love with a movie actor and tells her relatives that she has married him. When they arrive, they are able to meet the grand duchess's supposed husband, as she has forced the actor to play the thankless role. But from the pretense and the often awkward incidents it causes, a lively and genuine affection develops between the two protagonists. And the grotesque episode ends with a real wedding.

A story of the Second Punic Wars, beginning with Scipio's futile pleas to the Roman Senate to build an army to battle Hannibal, that climaxes with the battle of Zama.