This delightful comedy of errors follows the fortunes of Perkin and Wat. Perkin is royal odd-job man to the court of the Emperor. His friend, Wat, has recently been demoted from court pastrycook following a disastrous batch of cakes (Wat swears he was framed by the head cook). Wat is the comic focus, meaning well, but repeatedly foiled. Our heroes triumph at the last, Wat regaining his status and Perkin winning the heart of Princess Sophie.