A peaceful greengrocer, after being persistently pressured by his wife, agrees to use the gold sovereigns that his now-deceased Jewish partner had hidden in the basement. A historian tells him that he comes from Frankish nobility and has inherited the dukedom of Athens. The greengrocer moves to a tower, and, using the treasure, lives a luxurious life. In reality, however, he longs for his old simple life. His daughter is in love with the son of a politician of aristocratic origin, but finds it hard to come to terms with the folk past of her father.