In The Charlatan, Gogol, the uncle of a Russian prince disguises a peasant girl (Anna) as a princess so that his nephew will marry her and lose his riches to Gogol. But chaos ensues when the real princess appears, determined to oust her impostor. Anna runs away in fear, and her father is accused of - and arrested for - making her disappear by magic. But Anna returns to confess to running away, and all is forgiven.