The text of the play is preceded by the author’s dedication to the Duke of Orleans, the king’s only brother.

The brothers Sganarelle and Arist unsuccessfully try to convince each other of the need to change. Sganarelle, always gloomy and unsociable, condemning fashion quirks, reproaches his elder brother for frivolity and panache: “Here is a true old man: he deftly fools us / And he wants to cover his gray hair with a black wig!” The sisters of Leonor and Isabella appear, accompanied by the handmaiden Lisetta. They continue to discuss the brothers, not noticing their presence. Leonora assures Isabella that she will support and protect her from Sganarelle's nit-picking. The brothers enter into a conversation - Sganarelle demands that Isabella return home, and Leonora and Arist try to persuade him not to stop the girls from enjoying the walk. Sganarelle objects, he recalls that the father of the girls, before his death, entrusted them to the care of the brothers, "By leaving us to marry them / Ile would have a different fate for them." Therefore, says Sganarelle, each of the brothers has the right to act with a girl who is in his care, in accordance with their ideas about life. Arist can pamper Leonora and encourage her passion for outfits and entertainment, while he, Sganarelle, demands isolation from Isabella, considering repairing clothes and knitting stockings enough entertainment for her.

The servant Lysette intervenes in the conversation, indignant that Sganarelle is going to keep Isabella locked up, as is customary in Turkey, and warns the unreasonable guardian that "Dangers will threaten the one who re-reads us." Arist urges the younger brother to think again and reflect on the fact that “a secular school, inspiring a good tone, / Teaches us no less than a large book” and that one should be a husband, but not a tyrant. Sganarelle persists and orders Isabella to leave. Everyone leaves behind, leaving Sganarelle alone.

At this time, Valera, in love with Isabella, and his servant Ergast appear. Noticing Sganarel, whom Valere calls “my terrible argus / Cruel guardian and guardian of my beautiful”, they intend to enter into a conversation with him, but this does not immediately succeed. Having managed to attract the attention of Sganarelle, Valer could not achieve the desired result to get closer to his neighbor, pursuing the only goal - to be able to see Isabella. Left alone with his servant, Valera does not hide his grief, because he does not know anything about Isabella’s feelings for him. Ergast consoles him, rightly believing that "Spouses and fathers are jealous of sorrows / Affairs of lovers usually facilitated." Valera complains that for five months she has not been able to approach her lover, since Isabella is not only locked up, but also alone, which means that there is no servant who could be a mediator between a young man in love and his object for a generous reward passions.

Sganarelle and Isabella appear, and it is clear from their remarks that they are continuing a long-started conversation, and it is obvious that Isabella's trick was a success - she managed to convince Sganarelle of the need to speak with Valera, whose name the girl supposedly completely accidentally heard. Left alone, Sganarelle is eager to immediately get even with Valera, since he took Isabella's words at face value. He is so absorbed in his thoughts that he does not notice his mistake - he knocks on his own door, believing that he has approached Valera’s house. The young man begins to make excuses for his presence in the house of Sganarelle, but soon realizes that a misunderstanding has occurred. Not noticing that he is in his own house, Sganarelle, having refused the offered chair, hurries to talk with Valera. He announces that he intends to marry Isabella, and therefore wishes, "so that your immodest glance does not bother her." Valera is surprised and wants to find out how Sganarelle found out about his feelings for Isabella, because he could not get close to her for many months. The young man is even more surprised when Sganarelle reports that he learned about everything from Isabella herself, who could not hide Valer's disrespect from her beloved, Surprise Valera convinces Sganarelle that Isabella’s speeches are true. Valera, accompanied by Ergast, hurries to leave so that Sganarel does not understand that he is in his own house. Isabella appears, and the guardian tells her how the conversation went with Valera, how the young man tried to deny everything, but was embarrassedly quieted to learn that Sganarelle was acting on Isabella's instructions.

The girl wants to be sure that Valera fully understood her intentions, so she resorts to a new trick. She informs the guardian that the servant Valera threw a box with a letter at her window, but she wants to immediately bring him back. At the same time, Sganarelle should make it clear to Valera that Isabella did not even want to open the letter and does not know its contents. Fooled Sganarelle is delighted with the virtues of his pupil, is ready to fulfill her order exactly and goes to Valera, without ceasing to admire and extol Isabella.

Having opened the letter, the young man no longer doubts the location of the young beauty who is ready to connect with him as soon as possible, otherwise the hated guardian Sganarel himself will have time to marry her.

Sganarelle appears, and Valera humbly admits that he understood the futility of his dreams of happiness with Isabella and will keep his unrequited love to the grave. Confident of his triumph, Sganarelle in detail retells his pupil a conversation with a young man, not knowing it himself, gives Isabella the answer of her lover. This story prompts the girl to proceed further, and she persuades the guardian not to trust the words of Valera, who, according to her, intends to kidnap the bride of Sganarelle. The newly fooled guardian goes to Valera and informs that Isabella revealed to him the black plans of an inconsiderate neighbor who planned to kidnap someone else's bride. Valera denies everything, but Sganarelle, acting on the instructions of his pupil, is ready to take the young man to Isabella and give him the opportunity to verify the veracity of his words. Isabella skillfully portrays indignation, barely seeing Valera. Sganarelle convinces her that there was only one way to get rid of the intrusive courtship - to enable Valera to hear the verdict from the mouth of the subject of his passion. The girl does not miss the opportunity to describe her situation and express her wishes: "I expect that my dear, I will take the measures without delay / And everything will be taken away from the darling hope." Valera is convinced that the girl is passionate about him and is ready to become his wife, and that the unlucky guardian does not understand anything.

Isabella continues to weave her nets and convinces Sganarel that her sister Leonora is in love with Valera. Now that Valera is shamed because of Isabella's virtues and must leave, Leonora dreams of meeting with him and asks her sister for help. She wants, pretending to be Isabella, to meet with Valera. The guardian pretends to be upset for his brother, locks the house, and goes after Isabella, believing that he is pursuing Leonora. After making sure that the imaginary Leonora went into Valera, he runs after the commissar and notary. He convinces them that a girl from a good family is seduced by Valera and now there is an opportunity to combine them with an honest marriage. He himself hurries after his brother Arist, who is sure that Leonora is at the ball. Sganarelle is gloating and reports that this ball is in Valer's house, where Leonora actually went. Both brothers join the commissioner and notary public, while it turns out that Valera has already signed the necessary documents and it is necessary to enter only the name of the lady. Both brothers confirm their consent to the marriage of their pupil with Valery by signature, while Arist believes that we are talking about Isabella, and Sganarelle - that about Leonor.

Leonora appears, and Arist blames her that she did not tell him about her feelings for Valera, since her guardian never constrained her freedom. Leonora admits that she only dreams of marriage with Arist and does not understand the reasons for his grief. At this time, newlyweds and government officials appear from Valera’s house. Isabella asks her sister for forgiveness for using her name to achieve her wishes. Valera thanks Sganarel for having received his wife from his hands. Arist advises the younger brother to meekly accept what happened, because “the reason for everything is your actions alone; / And in your fate all is sadder, / That no one pity you in such trouble ".