It's mid-twentieth century Florence. Wealthy Buoso Donati has just died in his bed, his extended family the only people around him at the time. Rumors abound within the family that he has left his entire estate to a nearby monastery, which if be the case would place him in an even worse view by his family than he already is, and place them all in a state of poverty. They are able to locate his will, which indeed confirms the rumors. Rino, Buoso's nephew who wanted some of that inheritance to be able to marry Lauretta - something that will not happen without that money - believes that Lauretta's father, Gianni Schicchi, may be able to help them with the issue of finding a loophole in the will to order for them to inherit Buoso's estate. Gianni, formerly a rural peasant, has only recently arrived in Florence and is trying to make a name for himself, and as such is someone that Rino's image conscious aunt, Zita, does not want in their lives in their current state. Gianni does believe there is a way for the family to inherit Buoso's estate, albeit in a less than legal way. Buoyed by this possibility, each of Buoso's family members not only want their part of the inheritance, but most specifically the most universally coveted items of the mule, the Florence house, and the mills in Signa, which each person tries to entice Gianni to give to him/her. Each of the family members will not only see if Gianni is good to his word of being able to change the will without the collective being caught in fraud, but if he/she will be the lucky recipient of those most coveted items.