Once, the great magician and wizard Durandarte came to the city of Serendipp. The king of this city, Deramo, received the guest with unprecedented luxury and courtesy, for which the grateful wizard left him two amazing magical secrets as a gift.

No matter how powerful Durandarte was, by the sentence of the god of the fairies Demogorgon, he had to turn to the Parrot, and his faithful servant Chigolotti carried him to the Ronchislapsky Forest, located near Serendippa. However, at the proper moment, Durandarte promised to appear in order to punish the betrayal caused by one of his wonderful gifts.

King Dramo is not married. At one time, he interrogated two thousand seven hundred and forty-eight princesses and noble maidens in a secret office, but he did not want to see any of them as his queen. Now the cunning first minister Tartaglia told him that, they say, the people are dissatisfied with the absence of the heir to the throne, there may be unrest ... The king agreed to arrange a new trial, which this time girls of all classes were admitted.

Tartaglia is pleased that Deramo heeded his arguments, because he hopes that his daughter Clarice will become the queen. She was the first to go to the secret cabinet by lot, but Clarice was not at all happy and asked her father to save her from the test - she loves Leandro, the son of the second minister Pantalone, and, in addition, she does not want to cross the road to her best friend, sister Leandro Angela, crazy in love with the king. Tartaglia, threatening her daughter with poison, still forces her to go into a secret cabinet. His fury is caused not only by Clarice’s disobedience, but also by the news of love for Angelo Dramo - the minister himself has long been troubled by the desire to get the girl for his wife.

Angela also does not want to pass the test in a secret office, but she has her own reasons for that. She is sure that the king will reject her and her love, and she cannot survive such shame and humiliation. Father, Pantalone, and would be happy to save Angela from the difficult procedure for her, but this, alas, is not in his power.

Another contender for the hand and heart is the butler’s sister, Smeraldina. This person does not shine with the beauty and subtlety of circumventing, but she is completely confident in success - in fact, who can resist her luxurious outfit in oriental taste and to the place of the verses Tacco and Ariosto turned into? Smeraldine is so alien to her doubts about victory that she resolutely and irrevocably rejects her old lover - the royal trapper Truffaldino.

Many tried to understand what the meaning of the test was, but in vain, because no one except Deramo knew about the magical gift of the magician Durandart hidden in the office - a magical statue that unmistakably exposes the lies and hypocrisy of women.

The sculpture recognizes Clarice’s speeches addressed to Deramo as sincere until, in response to the king’s question, has her heart been given to someone else, she does not answer “no”. Then it begins to grimace, and Deramo realizes that the girl is lying.

When Smeraldina enters the office, her first words already make the statue writhe from laughter. The self-confident person even collapses from the supposedly overwhelming feelings; they take it out.

Imagine the king’s amazement when, throughout his long conversation with Angela, the statue does not move a muscle. Touched by the sincerity of her words about love for him, Deramo convenes the courtiers and solemnly announces to Angela his bride. To make it clear to everyone how he chose her from hundreds of others, the king tells the courtiers about the wonderful gift of Durandart, and then, in order to avoid temptations, he personally breaks the statue.

Pantalone is full of gratitude to the overlord for the honor rendered to his daughter. Tartaglia, though building a contented mine, feels infernal rage in her heart and feels ready for any atrocities.

Tartaglia scolding Clarice for what she revealed to the king her love for Leandro and thereby did not allow her father to become a royal father-in-law and at the same time destroyed him, Tartaglia, dreams of marrying Angela. But nevertheless, the cunning minister hopes that not everything is lost for him, and therefore, in response to the requests of Angela and Leandro to bless their union, he persuades the young people to take a little time.

As soon as he left the temple, where he married Angela, Deramo arranged a fun royal hunt in the Ronchislap Forest. And so they find themselves in a secluded place together with Tartaglia, who conceived the evil: kill the king, capture the city and force Angela to marry him. Only an accident prevents him from shooting Demo in the back.

Being a shrewd person, Deramo notices that something is wrong with his minister’s soul and directly asks Tartaglia why he is dissatisfied. In response, the cunning courtier begins to complain that, despite thirty years of faithful service, the king does not consider him worthy of his full trust - for example, at least he did not tell about the wonderful gifts of Durandart.

The kind-hearted Deramo, wanting to console Tartaglia, tells him about the second of the magician's gifts - the infernal spell. Anyone who casts this spell over the body of a dead beast or person will die, and his spirit will move into a lifeless body; the same magic words allow a person to return to his former shell. In words, Tartaglia is insanely grateful to the king, but in fact in his head the devilish plan has already ripened.

When Deramo and Tartaglia happen to kill two deer, the minister persuades the king to demonstrate the effect of the spell. Deramo pronounces it, moves into the body of a deer and runs into the forest. Tartaglia repeats the spell over the lifeless body of the king - and now he is not the first minister, but the monarch. Tartaglia decapitates her own corpse and throws it into the bushes, and sets off the pursuit of the King-Deer. The old peasant whom he met, unfortunately, did not see any deer, for which he receives a bullet from the ferocious Tartaglia and dies on the spot. The courtiers are amazed at the change that happened to their noble master, his spite and rudeness, but of course they cannot suspect forgery.

To tears, she was struck by the change in her wife and Angela, to whom Tartaglia, barely returning from a hunt, approaches with her love. The outcast impostor is somewhat discouraged, but is sure that everything will settle down over time.

Truffaldino, meanwhile, finds Tartaglia's decapitated body in the forest and brings news of the murder of the first minister to the palace. Tartaglia uses the opportunity to give free rein to his frenzied disposition and orders to thrown into prison all who participated in the hunt.

In the forest of Truffaldino, not only the corpse of Tartaglia, but also the talking Parrot was caught. The magician Durandarte - and it was he himself - fell into the hands of the hunter and, in addition, advised him to take himself to the palace to the queen - she supposedly generously reward Truffaldino for such a rare game.

Having left the chase, Deramo stumbles upon the body of an old man killed by Tartaglia and decides that it is better for him to live even in an unpresentable, but still human guise, than in the body of a deer. He casts a spell and turns into an old peasant.

Truffaldino brings the Parrot to the queen, but, contrary to the expectations of the hunter, Angela does not dump him a heap of gold for the bird. Angela has a confusion and longing in her heart, so she asks Truffaldino to leave, and when he starts to persist, even - which so does not look like her - threatens to throw him from the balcony. While they are bickering, a guard appears and, pursuant to Tartaglia’s order, grabs Truffaldino and drags him into prison.

Deramo in the image of an old man nevertheless penetrates his palace and, seizing the moment, speaks with Angela. She at first becomes horrified, mixed, however, with embarrassment - because no matter how ugly the old man, he speaks in the voice of her husband. Deramo is trying to convince Angela that he is he. In the speeches of the old man, the queen gradually recognizes the sublimity of thought and feeling that has always been characteristic of the king; finally her doubts are dispelled when Dramo recalls the morning tender conversation between them. Now, when Angela recognized the king as an ugly old man, they together figure out how to restore Demo to his former appearance and punish the vile first minister.

Some time later, after meeting Tartaglia, Angela pretends that she is about to change her attitude towards him and reciprocate - for this, there is not enough small. Tartaglia is ready to do whatever she asks: orders to release Pantalone and Brigella innocently imprisoned there, blesses the marriage of Clarice and Leandro ... Angela’s third request is to show the effect of Durandarte’s spell and move into a dead deer - Tartaglia promises to respect only after that how the queen will make him happy with her caresses. This is not part of Angelo’s plans with Deramo; the girl rests, Tartaglia drags her into the back chambers by force.

Unable to bear such a spectacle, Deramo leaves the shelter and rushes to Tartaglia. He is already raising his sword to the king, when suddenly the roar of an earthquake is heard - this magician Durandarte discards bird feathers and appears in his present guise.

With the touch of a wand, the wizard restores Deramo to his former appearance, and Tartalle, having exposed his meanness and betrayal, turns it into an ugly horned monster. In rage and despair, Tartaglia prays to be shot on the spot, but by the will of Durandart, he will not die from a bullet, but from the torment of shame and shame.

Not immediately passes the astonishment that struck all who saw the wonders of Durandarte. But now that the betrayal has been punished and justice has triumphed, it is time to begin preparations for a fun wedding feast.