Herminio, a student from Milan, arrives in the port town. From his old friend Carlo, the owner of the tavern, he learns about the embezzler governor, who imposed an exorbitant tax on fishermen, that the governor is going to marry his wayward son to a rich widow, the beautiful Charlotte, with whom Erminio is secretly in love, and about the sinister sea robber Gasparone, whose role is to be played... Herminio himself.