The cloth retailer Philip (Totò) is no longer able to stand his possessive and tyrannical wife (Ave Ninchi) who claims a higher lifestyle.

The only freedom left is to hole up in the attic reading police novels and venerating an altar dedicated to the infamous serial killer Landru.

The balance family collapses as the younger daughter of Philip became engaged to a young doctor (Peppino De Filippo): to prove to everyone her talent in giving injections, she decides, along with her mother, to use the poor Philip as a guinea pig.

At home, things get worse: his wife is complaining about the low wage and tells him about the poor quality of what she has been cooking for years and how she was forced to pawn her gold jewelry.

Anyway, the marriage of the couple's daughter is the chance to find new finance and strength and the pair get back together.