The leisure-loving Onésime receives a letter, notifying him that he has just inherited a large fortune - but there is a catch. Because Onésime's witless, lazy nature is so well known, he must wait for 20 years before he can receive any of the inheritance. Near despair, Onésime happens to read a clock-making treatise, which describes how to adjust the speed of a clock. This gives him an idea, which he hurries off to try.