Hector Dumontier has had enough of his wife Noémie : she is always immersed in those detective stories he disapproves of. To teach her a lesson, Dumontier decides to simulate the burglary of their house, with the help of an alleged jewel thief masked by a hood. He creates many false leads and everybody in the house gets suspected, from Ernestine, the maid, to Cabassol, the chauffeur, to Rosine, the Dumontiers'daughter. The disorder is complete and the various police detectives in charge do not help much...