The Duke arrives in Venice. Senator Delacqua fears being cuckolded, so he sends his wife away. When he finds out that the Duke wants to hire a court administrator, he sends his cook instead of his wife to meet the Duke. Meanwhile, Annima, who is a fisherman's daughter, arrives at the Duke's residence as Delacqua's wife. Delacqua's real wife is staying with her husband's nephew, who is also her lover. Annima's and the cook's boyfriends also appear on stage. They want to please the Duke, but at the same time, they don't want anything to happen to their girlfriends.