After turning himself in, infamous con man Cesare Aribaldo Argento manipulates his way through prison, where his mistress, her husband, the prison warden, the guards and his fellow inmates become pawns in his personal treasure hunt.

Count De Grancé have two degenerate children. For the adolescent daughter there is still some hope, as her main vice appears to be that she devours the novels of Emile Zola. The son leads a dissolute life in gambling dens, where he cheats at cards, and in night-clubs he associates with dancers. [As of 2024, it appears only a 12-minute fragment of the film survives, at EYE Filmmuseum.]

After serving in the Royal Navy, Manus, Toon and Dries return to Amsterdam working-class quarter 'the Jordaan'. Back home, they find out things have changed while they were gone; Manus's girl Jans has been unfaithful to him, Toon's father now rejects him on account of his dissolute life and barmaid Auntie Piet has been cooking up a scheme to ruin Dries' relationship with his girl Greet.