Peter, a young, bankrupt homeowner, wants to sell his house and move in with his aunt Agathe in the countryside. In the meantime, his friend Albert and his niece Inge are supposed to guard the house. When he learns that the three crooks Boxer-Franz, Taschen-August, and Klau-Maxe are already living there, he breaks into his own house, where he encounters the three burglars, who mistake him for a "colleague." The crooks expect him to pretend to be the homeowner and want to keep the proceeds for themselves.

• Comedy