A young man is involved in a swindle to produce synthetic gold, but fortunately when the fakery is uncovered he still has his girlfriend and a ticket to America.
Panurge, a poor laundress, breathes in the smell of fish glue all day long but grows a meager flower in a tin can. He falls in love with the washerwoman, whose virtue is threatened by Fred's feline seduction. But Panurge and his gentle melancholy disarm fate.
