The Nephews of Zorro

Franco and Ciccio arrive in California with the plan to find gold. They are unaware that the region is watched by Zorro, a champion of the poor who operates there. Their arrival begins a comic scramble for fortune that will entangle them with the masked hero.

While Zorro frees two unjustly imprisoned prisoners, Franco and Ciccio are captured by mistake. Zorro punishes them by branding a Z on their backsides, marking them as troublemakers. The branding reveals their presence to the town and hints at the danger of crossing Zorro.

The cousins are brought to the home of their uncle Diego De La Vega. They do not realize that Diego's son Raphael and Zorro are the same man. The encounter foreshadows the thin line between the noble hero and the clever disguise.

To avoid compromising Zorro's identity, the cousins are given money to vanish. They’ve seen Zorro’s clothes in Raphael’s room, and their disappearance would keep the hero’s secret safe. The arrangement ties Franco and Ciccio’s fate to Zorro’s double life.

Franco and Ciccio fall for two conmen who swindle them, leaving them poor again. The duped cousins hope for a new break but gain nothing from the deceit. Their fortunes depend on the mercy or schemes of others.

Zorro steals a priceless treasure from the tyrannical town judge and becomes central to Franco and Ciccio's fate. He uses the recovered treasure to help them, though his motives are shrouded by his mask. The treasure's proximity adds tension as the cousins draw nearer to a fortune and danger.

The treasure lies near the hiding place where Franco and Ciccio soon begin their search for gold. They become close to discovering the forbidden prize without realizing the broader danger. The proximity raises the stakes as their luck intertwines with Zorro’s secrets.

Carmencita, a devoted admirer of Zorro, longs for the hero to meet her one evening. She happily prepares for the moment, unaware of the danger of the disguise. Her anticipation sets the stage for a night of mistaken identities.

Meanwhile, Carmencita’s maid tips off the judge’s guards about the planned meeting. The plan to see Zorro is compromised by the traitor in the house. The guards close in on the masked figures, heightening the tension.

Hearing of Carmencita’s meeting, Franco and Ciccio decide to impersonate Zorro for the night. They don one of Zorro’s outfits and attempt to deceive everyone at the rendezvous. Their plan soon spirals out of control.

Carmencita confronts three men she believes might be Zorro. The guards are unable to determine which is the real hero, creating chaos and confusion. The comic impersonation turns perilous for the impostors.

The guards arrest Franco and Ciccio, unable to defend themselves against the confusion. They are condemned to hang at the town gallows the next day. The pair faces a grim fate unless Zorro intervenes.

Zorro bursts onto the scene and rescues Franco and Ciccio from the gallows. His timely intervention reinforces the legend of the masked hero and reveals Raphael as the man behind the mask to the cousins. The rescue cements Zorro’s role as protector of the underdog.

In the end the judge is arrested and order is restored in town. Franco and Ciccio are sent away with a pile of money, but two conmen promptly steal it from them. The conclusion hints at the costs of gullibility and deceit even as justice prevails.