In 1860s France, Claude Mercadet enjoys the trappings of wealth with his wife Pauline and their daughter Julie Mercadet in a grand mansion in the Bois de Boulogne. Behind the facade, Claude is a master of deception, living on a wheel of debt that grows as he pays one creditor with money borrowed from another. His house, built more of straw than brick, is on the verge of collapse. A bailiff arrives to seize assets to satisfy overdue loans, and Claude receives stern notes from Pierquin, Goulard, and Violette, all threatening to jail him unless debts are settled.
To salvage appearances, Claude hatches a plan to host a lavish reception for the Count de la Brive, the wealthiest man in Paris, who has shown interest in Julie's hand. He orders his loyal butler Justin to invite as many creditors as possible and to ensure the Count attends, hoping they will contribute cash at the gathering. He also leans on his cook Virginie, who swears that their former partner Godeau will pay back what he owes now that he's returned from America.
Julie learns of her father's scheme and reveals she loves Jacques Minard, a bank clerk. Claude suspects Jacques is a fortune hunter who could be after Julie's money. He contemplates sending Jacques away, while privately plotting to secure funds through the Count's arrival. Before Jacques comes, a creditor named Violette arrives at the house with a cold; Claude gives her a makeshift medicine and entices her to invest five thousand francs in its marketing.
When Jacques finally arrives, Claude reveals the family is on the brink of ruin, but Jacques remains steadfast about marrying Julie. To sway him, Claude flatters him with tough talk about Julie aging and losing her beauty if they wait, and Jacques agrees that Julie should marry the Count instead. Julie believes he is rejecting her due to poverty.
At the reception, the Count proclaims his love for Julie and brags about his immense wealth. Claude checks if the Count owes any money and the Count admits a small debt, news that should make Claude optimistic. But the bailiff arrives to seize more property the next day at the Count's home. The two men realize they have both been playing the same game and decide to push ahead with the engagement to protect their reputations and stall the creditors, discovering they share the creditor Pierquin in common and that they have both promised him a settlement.
They bar Pierquin from entering by having Justin block the door, but Pierquin ignores this and enters through a window, declaring the Count a swindler. The other creditors converge and demand immediate payment, threatening imprisonment and even transportation to prison. In a desperate move, Claude reveals to Julie that he has persuaded Jacques to stand down as a suitor. The two men team up to improvise a distraction: the Count will disguise himself as Claude's former partner Godeau arriving from America with cash. Claude believes this ruse will give them time to come up with funds.
Before "Godeau" can arrive, Claude is taken to the prison carriage, and Jacques returns with Julie, who vows to raise the money to pay off the debts. The faux Godeau makes an entrance as announced by Justin, and the creditors rejoice, but Claude then confesses that the "Godeau" is a fake. Pauline, Jacques, and Julie intervene, insisting that the real Godeau is needed. When the real Godeau arrives, Claude promises that everyone will be paid in full the very next day. Grateful for the Count's help, Claude lends him money to resume his own affairs, finally achieving his long-held dream of becoming a creditor.
