 In this riot of frantic disguises and mistaken identities, Victor Pivert, a blustering, bigoted French factory owner, finds himself taken hostage by Slimane, an Arab rebel leader. The two dress up as rabbis as they try to elude not only assasins from Slimane s country, but also the police, who think Pivert is a murderer. Pivert ends up posing as Rabbi Jacob, a beloved figure who s returned to France for his first visit after 30 years in the United States. Adding to the confusion are Pivert s dentist-wife, who thinks her husband is leaving her for another woman, their daughter, who s about to get married, and a Parisian neighborhood filled with people eager to celebrate the return of Rabbi Jacob.