Naples, 1806. The king Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies is frowned upon by the people, especially the comic theatrical Pulcinella, which continually delivers hard sermons, earning a reputation among the Neapolitans. Ferdinand one day gets angry and does condemn to death Pulcinella, while every night the king masquerades himself as populate with a false name, having fun in the taverns. Pulcinella unmasks him and invokes the rebellion of the people of Naples, that never comes. However, the cruelty of Ferdinand stops when Napoleon Bonaparte arrives in Italy. While the Neapolitans celebrate (false) freedom, Ferdinand makes a noble disguise his coachman while he wears populate dresses, and runs away from the city.