The story follows Jeppe, a peasant who is ill treated by his wife and exploited by his employers. The opening scene of the play sees his wife, Nille, demand he make a long trip to buy soap. On his way, he stops at the inn of Jakob Skomager, who slowly coerces Jeppe into spending all of his money on alcohol. While in a drunken stupor, he is discovered by the baron and his servants who decide to play a joke on Jeppe. They take him to the baron's castle where he is dressed in the nobleman's clothes and put in his bed. The pranksters then wait nearby to watch the fallout.

Upon awaking, Jeppe is greatly confused by the grandeur of his surroundings and wonders if he is dreaming or in paradise. He calls out for his wife to no avail. Unable to remember how he got to the castle from being a peasant, he begins to wonder if he is someone else entirely. Servants in uniforms and doctors arrive and convince Jeppe that he is in fact the Baron. He then decides to entertain himself by ordering Развернуть