An old donkey resolves to break away from the unbearable hardships of working for a fat miller. By and by, he recruits three more unsatisfied animals and convinces them to accompany him on his way to Bremen where they want to become musicians.
In spite of his blustering manner and his refusal to listen to what the patients have to say, Dr. Doppelsieder is highly respected in the Upper Bavarian town of Bayrischzell, because he (almost) always has the right remedy and effective advice ready for the sick. The only person he can't help is Pfundtner, the rich Guldenhof farmer. He wants a remedy that, after seven daughters, will finally help him and his wife to the longed-for farm inheritance.