Princess Podshipa is in grief: she loves Tsarevich Drooling, whom she has known since childhood, but she is forced to marry the German prince Trumph. The fact is that Podchipa had earlier refused to Trump, and then the vengeful prince declared war on Tsar Vakula, the father of Podchipa. Trumph won, burst into the city and “shoved Vakulu from the throne”. Trumph promises to return the crown to the ousted king if Podchipa marries him, Trumph, married. Vakula agrees to this deal.

The servant Chernavka persuades the princess not to grieve excessively, but Podshipa is inconsolable. She even refuses a calf’s leg, and in the morning she ate only “with a whitefish kulebyaku”, and that “absolutely without relish”. The princess even stopped washing and combing her hair. Enter Marshal Durduran. In his hands is a rooster, which will be prepared for the wedding. Durduran announces that Podchipka should get married in an hour. The princess is deprived of feelings. Draft fears that her mistress will commit suicide. The Hoffmarshal reports that precautions have already been taken against this: the princess is not given knives at the table, she goes without garters so that she doesn’t strangle her, but instead of tails she wears bubbles to float if she drowns.

Trumph comes to Podkip. The princess is trying to explain to the warlike German that her habits and tastes are not at all like him. But Trumph fails to convince. Then Podshipa declares directly that she does not like Trumph. This leads the German into terrible anger. He's leaving.

Prince Slyuniai appears and admits that he can’t fight Trump, as he wears a wooden sword - his mother did not order to wear it. Podchipa sends Chernavka to Vakula: she asks for a meeting with her father.

The tuck suggests drooling to die together. The prince at first agrees, and then Podshipa intends to jump out of the window with him, drown, and slaughter. But when it comes down to it, Drool is afraid. The pluck in resentment leaves the beloved.

Vakula convenes the imperial Council. Drooling, he exempts from participation in the Council - "still green." Overjoyed Drooling goes to the dovecote. The king orders the nobles to think how to get rid of Trump, how to defeat him. But when Vakula begins to ask the views of the nobles, it turns out that one of them is blind and cannot read the paper, the second is German, the third is deaf, and the fourth barely breathes due to old age. Then the king leaves them to think further, and he himself goes to let the kubar go. The council falls asleep immediately.

A distressed Vakula meets with the Pinche. She thinks that the reason for his father’s sadness is Trumph. The matter is explained differently: the page broke the kubar, which Vakula had been amusing since childhood. The king sends to the Council "herring and vodka" so that nobles think better.

Durduran announces the Council's decision: to ask about everything the gypsy who lives on the bridge. They immediately send for a gypsy. Appearing, she divines to Vakula and says that there is a grunt in his heart because of Trump. The gypsy promises that if Durduran follows her advice, then the German will no longer be here. Then she divines to Podshypka and speaks of the princess' love for Dribbling. Vakula promises to sew the fortune-teller “Kumachny Telogrey” if she can get rid of Trump.

The German prince runs into a rage. It turns out that he already knows about the plot against him: he managed to eavesdrop on the conversations of the Vakulin’s nobles. The king asks Trump for forgiveness. An angry German, having driven away Vakula, Podshipu and Durduran, is talking with a fortuneteller. The gypsy swears that Podshipa loves Trumph and only bewitched about him. Trumph believes this and rejoices.

In front of a German prince, Drooling comes across. Trumph wants to stab the prince, but he humiliatesly begs for mercy. Then the German, out of respect for the princely family, offers a slobbering fair fight and gives him a gun. But Drooling flatly refuses a duel: after all, a pistol can be shot “before the sweep” (the prince lisps). Drooling ready to step aside from the bride - if only Trumph did not kill him. Then the German orders the prince: let him persuade the princess to marry Trump immediately. Otherwise, Drool will be executed.

Podchipa comes in. She is no longer angry with Drooling: Vakula persuaded her to make peace with him. The pluck burned with tender feelings for the prince, but he persuaded her to marry Trumph so that he would not be executed, drooling. But Podchipa categorically refuses. She announces to the page who came after her that she wouldn’t stop loving Drooling, and let Trump “kill, shoot him or hang him”, but this will not weaken her love. Drooling, in desperation, exclaims: “I know nothing of this kind of jubilee!”

The angry Trump bursts in. He wants to kill the terrified Drooling. But then Vakula runs in with the news of victory: everything was arranged by a clever gypsy. She let Trumph’s servants “charge two sighs”, in general - a laxative. And from this the Germans became “so whimpering” and “so running around” that they immediately laid down their guns when they were surrounded by well done Vakulins.

King Vakula appoints a gypsy maid of honor Podshipy. For Trumph, he comes up with a special punishment: let the hairdresser dress him with a dandy, comb “five pukol”, tie up a frill, “so that the Cossack jumps”. Trump appeared in the evening. And Podshipka with Drooling go to the crown. Only Drooling asks to wait: he needs to "change something."