Two infamous rogues, Ahmad ad-Danaf and Hasan Shuman, are appointed the new captains of the guard in Baghdad and are provided with a good salary. Dalilah the Crafty, the widow of the caliph's old keeper of carrier pigeons, and her daughter Zaynab the Coney-Catcher, are angry because they claim the right to a similar salary. Since it seems that in the rogues' case, their crimes were rewarded, Dalilah sets to work becoming a master thief. Pretending to be a holy woman, she cons a beautiful but childless noblewoman Khatun to come with her to see a sheikh who can help her get pregnant. She also gets a young man smitten with Khatun to come along, telling him he can marry Khatun. She relieves both parties of their money and clothes, as well as robbing the house where they go to eat.
Her tricks are revealed, but she manages to abduct a child and leave him with a jeweller, claiming that she needs someone to watch him while she goes to her sister's wedding, and takes some precious jewels with her. When her victims complain, she manages to sell them into slavery while they're asleep. She winds up tied outside the city wall as punishment, but convinces a bedouin to switch places with her. The caliph sends Ahmad ad-Danaf to arrest her, but she drugs his men and takes their clothes. Hasan Shuman intervenes, saying that she will be acquitted if she returns everything she stole. She agrees to this, and becomes a portress and a keeper of the carrier pigeons, earning a good salary.