Goofy farm boy Max Klopstock seems good for nothing, although the mean goat makes him look worse then he actually does. Feeling an utter disappointment to his dad, he decides to follow his two brothers' example, wandering out of the village to learn a profession. Emil and Jockel become carpenter and miller, learning those trades regularly. Max first adopts a vagrant rascal dog and trough his own honesty gets apprenticed by a tailor. He makes slow progress, but by inventing the overall saves his master from bankruptcy. each brother gets a magical gift before returning home. The miller's donkey, under whose tail gold is produced, and the carpenter's table which magically produces any desired meal, get stolen by an inn-keeping couple. Max uses his gift, a self-propelled cudgel, to make them return the rest black and blue.