Schulmeister, accompanied by General Savary, meets his friend Hammel to carry out a mission with the French armies occupying Austria. An uprising is feared, supported by a secret society known as the “Tugenbund.” Schulmeister infiltrates the conspirators and attends one of their meetings, while Hammel impersonates him among the Austrians. The noble families of Westphalia also wish to drive out the French. The Tugenbund plans an attack on the imperial commissioner, but Schulmeister manages to thwart it while gaining the trust of the society’s members. Betrayed, he is arrested by Westphalian officers, who reveal a plan to unite with the Tugenbund to overthrow King Jérôme, Napoleon’s brother. The plot fails, and the situation in Westphalia calms down.
