Travelling salesman Hercules Maier and his wife Maria are expecting a baby, but they can’t really afford it. Although Maier desperately tries to support his family, his efforts are becoming more and more absurd: He performs as a ‘prince for hire’ at dinner parties, ostensibly fails as a waiter, gets dumped by his wife and suddenly finds himself among money forgers.

In the end, he even runs a kindergarten. But then he is asked to watch over his own little daughter, which finally leads to a reconciliation with his wife.