The main character in the film is a real person in history - the hero of the Vietnamese people's army, Cu Chinh Lan, set in the middle of the resistance war against the French (circa 1951) on the battlefield in North Vietnam.
Five swindle stories, taking place in five international cities: Tokyo, Japan ("Fumiko's Five Benefactors" by Hiromichi Horikawa); Amsterdam, The Netherlands ("A River of Diamonds" by Roman Polanski); Naples, Italy ("The Road Map" by Ugo Gregoretti); Paris, France ("The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower" by Claude Chabrol); and Marrakesh, Morocco ("The Confidence Man" by Jean-Luc Godard).
Once upon a time there lived in the same village two men bearing the very same name. One of them chanced to possess four horses, the other had only one horse, so, by way of distinguishing them from each other, the proprietor of four horses was called "Great Claus," and he who owned but one horse was known as "Little Claus".
Prospective hotel owner Carlos is having problems with the completion of his hotel on the Adriatic. He quickly asks his niece Vivi in Germany to cancel the bookings he has made so far.