Thomas Mann's witty and intimate story of a irresistible scoundrel.

Peter, a young, bankrupt homeowner, wants to sell his house and move in with his aunt Agathe in the countryside. In the meantime, his friend Albert and his niece Inge are supposed to guard the house. When he learns that the three crooks Boxer-Franz, Taschen-August, and Klau-Maxe are already living there, he breaks into his own house, where he encounters the three burglars, who mistake him for a "colleague." The crooks expect him to pretend to be the homeowner and want to keep the proceeds for themselves.

Young Stanzi who is visiting Vienna helps a young corporal and musician to become famous for his marching song "Die Deutschmeister".

Beautiful Vienna during the Austro-Hungarian era. Lixie, a court councilor's daughter raised in a middle-class family, has fallen in love with the piano teacher Toni. To make a good impression on Lixie's strict father, Toni urgently needs a job. Then chance comes to Lixie's aid. At the Hotel Sacher, she meets Archduke Peter Ferdinand, the very man who could help Toni. But the Archduke only has eyes for Lixie. An unsuitable love affair develops between the two, which quickly escalates into a political scandal in Vienna's high society.

A powerful storm is brewing at Villa Sonnenschein. Mr. and Mrs. Jaconis have declared total marital war on each other. Jealous Hedy insists on the dismissal of her longtime servant Max, who is too adept at covering up her husband's amorous past, the successful author Dr. Jaconis. Max leaves, and the newly hired servant Ferdinand arrives. When the two meet one night, a fateful mix-up of suitcases occurs. Max suspects that his successor must be a criminal and feels obligated to protect his former employer from harm. He secretly returns to the villa. When Hedy's friend Lilly and the publisher Dr. Ravestyn also arrive, the house becomes a battle arena. Everyone suspects everyone else, and adultery and breach of trust, murder, and manslaughter are just some of the accusations that are leveled...