Argan, the Hypochondriac, is a well-to-do bourgeois, hypochondriacal and neurotic with a tormenting obsession that he suffers from various illnesses. He thus falls victim to exploitation by the doctors and his second wife, Béline, who is only interested in his wealth. Unable to free himself from his obsession and unwilling to pay exorbitant sums to the doctors, he decides to marry off his daughter to a doctor, so he can have his own doctor at home. Due to this desire, a crisis will arise that creates turmoil throughout the family.

Harpagón is the Miser, an old skinflint, a widower dependent on his gold, so much so that the thought of losing it drives him to madness. A comedic yet tragic figure, a victim of his weakness and narcissism, he sees enemies everywhere and oppresses his children, Cléante and Elisa, trying to impose lucrative marriages on them, disregarding their own desires, while, on the other hand, he chooses a beautiful young woman, Mariana, as his wife, with whom his son, Cléante, is in love. The children react to their father's choices and thus begins an attempt to thwart Harpagón's plans.