To triumph over the bitter hypochondriac Cassander, his daughter, Columbine and her young lover, Harlequin, hatch a plan to take Cassander by surprise and clear the way for them to be together. Ingenious disguises – both as a doctor and as a statue – are the basic elements of this classic pantomime, in which the clumsy and not too bright servant, Pierrot, constantly adds to the confusion.