The Devil’s Brother

Fra Diavolo regales his companions at a Northern Italy encampment with a vivid account of his latest caper. He describes disguising himself as the Marquis de San Marco to ingratiate himself with the aristocratic couple and to coax Lady Pamela into revealing the location of her jewels. The tale sets the stage for the reckless pursuit of wealth that follows.

During a carriage ride with Lord Rocburg and Lady Pamela, Diavolo maintains the Marquis disguise and moves close to his targets. Pamela, initially trusting, hints at where her jewels are kept, unwittingly feeding his plan. The encounter marks the beginning of his plot to seize Rocburg's wealth.

Diavolo dispatches his henchmen to Rocburg's estate to pillage the property and steal Pamela's jewels. The raid succeeds in taking the jewels, but Rocburg's hidden fortune remains untouched for the moment. The episode confirms Diavolo's intention to claim both Pamela's jewels and Rocburg's wealth.

Stanlio and Ollio, having fallen victim to a prior robbery, decide to imitate the notorious robber and start down a life of banditry. They fumble through comic misadventures as they mimic Diavolo's style, hoping for easy riches. Their attempt soon brings them into direct contact with the real outlaw.

Their encounter erupts into a farcical confrontation with Diavolo, who suspects Stanlio of impersonating him. He orders the hapless pair to be executed, unaware that this is all part of a wider game. News arrives that his henchmen have seized Pamela's jewels but failed to locate Rocburg's fortune, complicating his plan.

Regrouping in disguise as the Marquis, Diavolo recruits Stanlio and Ollio as attendants to assist in a new scheme. He targets Rocburg's wealth at an inn, while pursuing his lingering interest in Lady Pamela. The ruse tightens as the inn becomes the central stage for the next act.

At the inn, a soporific intended for Rocburg is accidentally consumed by Stanlio, derailing Diavolo's attempts to locate the hidden riches. The mishap throws his plan into disarray and throws the accusers into confusion. Pamela remains a focal point as the pursuit continues.

Stanlio inadvertently reveals Diavolo's machinations to Captain Lorenzo, who seeks to clear his own name from a theft Diavolo has framed him for. Lorenzo's resolve to expose the truth sets the stage for a confrontation between him and the outlaw. The disclosure also draws Pamela and Rocburg back into the tangled plot.

Captain Lorenzo confronts Diavolo, aided by Stanlio's inadvertent assistance, and a clash ensues. The confrontation culminates in Diavolo's defeat and the restoration of Pamela's jewels. Lorenzo's integrity is vindicated, and Rocburg's wealth remains secure.

Diavolo yields the jewels to Captain Lorenzo to allow Lorenzo to intervene and save Matteo's inn from ruin. The gesture marks a rare moment of conscience in the outlaw and shifts the balance of the story toward mercy. The inn's survival becomes a secondary reward for Lorenzo's standing.

Facing possible execution, Diavolo and his cohorts are spared by a sudden interruption from a perturbed bull. The dramatic moment turns the fate of the bandits and adds to the farcical tone of the tale. The crowd breathes a collective sigh of relief as the danger passes.

Amid the chaos, Diavolo seizes the chance to escape, mounting a horse as his pursuers close in. Stanlio and Ollio cling to the back of the enraged bull and ride off into the countryside on their unlikely mount. The chase becomes a signature gag that underlines their ridiculous luck.

Two key twists emerge: the hidden money-purse had been sewn into Lady Pamela's petticoats all along, and Diavolo had stood within reach of it many times without realizing its presence. The revelation reframes the earlier thefts as missteps rather than deliberate mastery. Pamela's concealed fortune remains a reminder of how close Diavolo came to wealth he never knew was there.

With the dust settled, the film closes on a note of ambiguity about the future of the bandits and the inn's fate, while the surviving characters reckon with the ridiculous chain of events. The treasure that could have toppled empires was hiding in plain sight, a comedic punchline to a sprawling caper.