Guelfo is a Florentine noble who has never worked and has no money. On the death of his mother, he believes he can inherit a large fortune, but from the notary he learns that he has an illegitimate brother with whom he will have to share half of his inheritance. His brother is called Felice, he works as a waiter in Bari and goes to Florence with a student friend who is indebted to the usurers. A rivalry without quarter begins between the two brothers.