After the death of her husband, the young baroness found herself in very cramped circumstances. Therefore, she is forced to encourage the courtship of the little-sympathetic and far from her circle businessman Turkur, who is in love with her and promises to marry. It is not clear how far their relationship went, but the fact that the Baroness became practically a Turkan woman kept: he pays her bills, gives expensive gifts and constantly appears at her house. By the way, all the comedy takes place in the boudoir of the Baroness. The beauty herself has a passion for the young aristocrat Chevalier, without a twinge of conscience, wasting her money. The maid of the Baroness, Marina, is worried about the wastefulness of the hostess and is afraid that, having learned the truth, Turkar will deprive the Baroness of any support.

With this quarrel of the lady with the maid the play begins. The Baroness admits Marina's arguments are correct, promises her to break with the Chevalier, but her determination is lacking for a short time. As soon as a footman Chevalier Fronten rushes into the boudoir with a tearful letter from the owner informing of the next major loss to the cards, the baroness gasps, melts and gives the last one - a diamond ring, recently presented to Turkar. “Lay him down and help your master out,” she punishes. Marina is desperate for such cowardice. Fortunately, a Turkar servant appears with a new gift - this time the businessman sent a bill for ten thousand ecu, and with it clumsy verses of his own composition. Soon, he himself is on a visit, during which the Baroness who favorably listens to him spreads his feelings. After his departure, a Chevalier with Fronten appears in the boudoir. Marina lets out a few harsh phrases addressed to them, after which the Baroness does not stand up and dismisses her. She indignantly leaves the house, noting that she will tell everything to “Mr. Turkar”. The Baroness, however, is confident that she will be able to convince Turkar of anything. She gives Chevalier a bill, so that he quickly received money on it and bought back the mortgaged ring.

Left alone, the savvy footman Fronten philosophically remarks: “Here it is, life! We rob the coquette, the coquette pulls from the farmer, and the farmer robs everyone who comes to hand. Circular fraud is fun, and more! ”

Since the loss was only a fiction and the ring wasn’t put anywhere, Fronten quickly returns it to the Baroness. This is very helpful, as an angry Turkar soon appears in the boudoir. Marina told him how the Baroness brazenly uses his money and gifts. Enraged, the farmer smashes into pieces the expensive porcelain and the mirrors in the bedroom. However, the Baroness maintains complete self-control and arrogantly fights off all reproaches. She attributes the “riveting” erected by Marina to the fact that she was expelled from the house. At the end, she shows a whole ring, which is supposedly given to Chevalier, and here Turkar is already completely disarmed. He mumbles an apology, promises to re-furnish the bedroom and again swears his passionate love. In addition, the Baroness takes the word from him to exchange her lackey for Fronten, the servant of the Chevalier. By the way, she passes off the latter as her cousin. Such a plan was drawn up in advance with the Chevalier in order to more conveniently lure money from the farmer. Marina is replaced by a new pretty maid Lysette, Fronten’s bride and, like him, a decent cheat. This couple persuades more to please the owners and wait in the wings.

Wishing to make amends, Turkar buys the Baroness new services and mirrors. In addition, he informs her that he has already acquired a plot to build a “wonderful mansion” for his lover. “I’ll rebuild it at least ten times, but I will ensure that everything is according to me,” he says proudly. At this time, another guest appears in the salon - a young marquis, a friend of Chevalier. This meeting is unpleasant for Turkar - the fact is that he once served as a lackey with the grandfather of the Marquis, and recently he unscrupulously blew his grandson, which he immediately tells the Baroness: “I warn you, this is a real flayer. He appreciates his silver by its weight in gold. ” Noticing the ring on the finger of the Baroness, the Marquis recognizes in him his family ring, which he deftly assigned to Turkar. After the Marquis left, the farmer awkwardly justified himself, noting that he could not lend money “in vain”. Then, from the conversation of Turkar with the assistant, which is conducted right in the boudoir of the Baroness — she tactfully leaves for such an occasion — it becomes clear that the farmer is engaged in major speculation, takes bribes and distributes warm places by acquaintance. His wealth and influence are very great, but trouble flashed on the horizon: some treasurer went bankrupt, with whom Turkar was closely associated. Another trouble reported by the assistant is Mrs. Turkar in Paris! But the baroness considers Turkar as a widower. All this requires immediate action from Turkar, and he is in a hurry to leave. True, before leaving the sneaky Fronten manages to persuade him to buy the Baroness’s own expensive exit. As you can see, the new footman has already embarked on the duties of knocking out large amounts of money from the owner. And, as Lysette rightly notes at Fronten, "judging by the beginning, he will go far."

Two arrogant gag, Chevalier and Marquis, discuss their heartfelt victories. The marquis talks about a certain decanter from the province - even if not of her first youth and not of dazzling beauty, but of a cheerful disposition and willingly giving him her affection. An interested Chevalier advises a friend to come with this lady in the evening for a dinner party at the Baroness. This is followed by the scene of another money-laundering from Turkar in a way invented by the cunning Fronten. The farmer is openly playing out, which he does not even suspect. The petty official sent by Fronten, posing as a bailiff, presents a document stating that the Baroness allegedly owes ten thousand livres for the obligations of her deceased husband. The Baroness, playing along, portrays at first confusion, and then despair. Upset Turkar cannot help but come to her aid. He drives away the "bailiff", promising to take all the debts upon himself. When Turkar leaves the room, the Baroness hesitantly notes that she is beginning to feel remorse. Lysette warmly reassures her: “First you need to ruin the rich man, and then you can repent. It’s worse if you have to repent that you have missed such an incident! ”

Soon, a saleswoman, Mrs. Jacob, came to the salon, recommended by the friend of the baroness. In between, she tells what her sister tells the rich Turkur, but this “geek” doesn’t help her at all - as, by the way, to her own wife, whom she sent to the province. “This old rooster always ran after every skirt,” the trader continues. “I don’t know who he’s contacted now, but he always has a few ladies who rob and swindle him ... And this fool promises to marry everyone.”

The Baroness is thunderstruck with what she heard. She decides to break with Turkar. “Yes, but not before you ruin it,” clarifies the prudent Lisette. The first guests are for dinner - this is the marquise with a thick “countess”, who is really none other than Madame Turkar. The simple-minded countess, with importance, describes how the high society lives in the provinces, not noticing the deadly ridicule with which the Baroness and Marquis comment on her speeches. Even Lysette does not deny herself the pleasure of inserting a sharp word into this chatter, such as: "Yes, this is a real school of gallantry for the whole of Lower Normandy." The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Chevalier. He recognizes in the "Countess" the lady that attacked him with her courtesies and even sent her portrait. The Marquis, learning about this, decides to teach the ungrateful traitor a lesson.

He appears to be avenged very soon. First, a saleswoman of state-owned Jacob appears in the cabin, and Turkar followed her. All three of the next of kin fall upon each other with gross abuse - to the pleasure of the aristocrats present. At this time, the servant reports that Turkar urgently call companions. Fronton, who appeared later, announces the disaster - his master was taken into custody, and everything in his house was confiscated and sealed on a tip from creditors. The bill for ten thousand ecu lost to the baroness also disappeared, since the Chevalier instructed Fronten to take him to the money changer, but the footman did not have time to do this ... Chevalier was desperate - he was left without the means and the usual source of income. The Baroness is also in despair - she was not just ruined, she was still convinced that the Chevalier was cheating on her: after all, he convinced that he had bought the ring from him and the money for them ... Former lovers parted very coldly. Perhaps the Marquis and the Chevalier will console themselves over dinner at the restaurant where they go together.

One quick Fronten wins. In the finale, he explains to Lisette how cleverly he deceived everyone. After all, a bearer bill remained with him, and he had already exchanged it. Now he has a decent capital, and she and Lisette can get married. “You and I are bringing a bunch of kids,” he promises the girl, “and they will be honest people.”

However, this generous phrase is followed by the last replica of the comedy, very ominous, which the same Fronten pronounces: “So, the kingdom of Turkar has ended, mine begins!”

(Lesage accompanied the comedy with a dialogue between Asmodeus and Don Cleophas, the characters of The Lame Demon, in which they discuss the Türkare staged in The French Comedy and the audience’s reaction to this performance. The general opinion, as Asmodeus sarcastically says, “that's all the characters are implausible and that the author was too overdone, drawing mores ... ".)