Paris in the 17th century: Harpagon is an old miser. He is constantly obsessed with the fear that someone will steal his money box buried in the garden. The old man, who is completely indifferent to his children's wishes, wants to marry his daughter Élise to an unattractive old man without a dowry. His son Cléante is to marry a rich widow, whose death he hopes will come soon so that he can inherit her fortune. For himself, however, the miser has chosen a young girl named Mariane, with whom his son is in love. Confusion ensues, and when Harpagon's beloved money box is stolen, the situation reaches boiling point...