Penniless but crafty and daring young Jakob leaves his impoverished town to the land of Emperor Friedhelm, who spends more then his treasury can afford on daily extravagant wardrobe items, demanding precious or exotic materials and terrorizing his court with dungeon sentences for anything at odds with his fashion obsession. Jacob engages a young thief and her mother, whom he rescued from arrest, as his assistants to pose as master tailor, promising to weave and cut untold exquisite fabrics into perfect roes for the imperial birthday. He lacks any skills, but counts on his absurd claim that the material has the unexplained property to be invisible for incompetent people. So no minster or courtier dears admit the spinning wheel and loom are as empty as his design.