Early 18th-century Krakow: The poor student Simon works as a travelling musician in order to finance his studies, and the Polish freedom fighter Jan is on the run from Saxon troops. They meet in the carriage of Count Kovalska, where they fall in love with the Count’s daughters Laura and Bronislava.

To take a revenge on countess Laura, who slapped him at his proposal, the Governor of the occupied Poland gets her fall in love with a poor student, and exposes him during wedding banquet.

Herminio, a student from Milan, arrives in the port town. From his old friend Carlo, the owner of the tavern, he learns about the embezzler governor, who imposed an exorbitant tax on fishermen, that the governor is going to marry his wayward son to a rich widow, the beautiful Charlotte, with whom Erminio is secretly in love, and about the sinister sea robber Gasparone, whose role is to be played.....

To take a revenge on countess Laura, who slapped him at his proposal, the Governor of the occupied Poland gets her fall in love with a poor student, and exposes him during wedding banquet.