Joseph von Träubesser is a scion of a wealthy aristocratic family. He's not satisfied with idle bliss but is ambitious and tries to become a good painter. His family and especially his nephew Leonid, who could be taken for his twin, think he's cracked. Fabian Cabanas, a famous painter, isn't at all pleased with his life. Apion Herbst, a postman and spiritualist, holds séances when off duty and helps Fabian to a new body. And Joseph too profits from this séance.
Fanny Hobichler, a young promising actress, moves to Vienna in the 1920s in order to pursue her big break. She draws inspiration and seeks help from the popular stage actor Albert Kortz who once started out from the same provincial town as she did and was a close friend of her late father. Kortz, however, dreams of retiring as he is tired of his fame and having to deal with the short-tempered theatre director Jason. Together, they try to outwit Jason.
In the made-up country of Alanien, King Alexander I has been overthrown while abroad. Now, he's in Vienna with his daughter, the city of his fondest memories since studying there as a boy. It doesn't take long for the charm of Vienna to work its magic on the former king: he quickly comes to terms with the new situation and is able to enjoy the Austrian capital sans all the ceremony and trappings which would otherwise accompany him on a state visit. The princess is content with preparing herself for a career as a pianist concert, while the former king takes a job as a chauffeur in the embassy of the country he once ruled. The revolutionaries are shocked; and his days in Vienna are numbered.
