Johann Nepomuk Nestroy

A military exercise creates confusion.

The fairies Fortuna and Amorosa make a bet with the devil, in the form of the evil spirit Lumpacivagabundus. They don't believe he will succeed in winning humanity over. To prove his skills, they choose three journeymen: the shoemaker Knierim, the tailor Zwirn, and the carpenter Leim. If Lumpacivagabundus succeeds in leading even one of the three journeymen astray, he will have won his bet. The devil manipulates a lottery in which the three journeymen win a fortune...

Three upright apprentices - tailor Zwirn, carpenter Leim, and shoemaker Knieriem - win a lottery and get rich overnight. Leim marries his master’s daughter, Zwirn squanders his fortune on the glamorous Signora Palpiti, and Knieriem drinks away his wealth. Horrified, Leim strives to rescue his friends and restore their middle‐class lives.

The fairy Fortuna and the ghost Lumpazivagabundus argue about whether money determines whether people act for good or for evil. So they make a bet – and shortly thereafter, the three less-than-virtuous journeymen Knieriem, Zwirn, and Leim are able to celebrate a large lottery win.