In small Monte Santo lives Nonô Correia, a neurasthenic, irritable and mysterious man, bordering on tragicomic. He is a complete tightwad, he locks the refrigerator with padlocks, turns off the light a few times a week and pours out his compulsive avarice even on his children: it is forbidden to repeat dishes at meals. His biggest concern is to save money. Nonô lives with his children, Tomaz and Elisa, and their maid, Frosina, who has been putting up with their pettiness for twenty years. However, the old miser is far from being poor: he has several rented properties and hides a treasure in his house that no one knows where it is. The only one who shares his secret is his friend Anselmo, who has a platonic love for Elisa.