Timon of Athens is a man who enjoys to please his friends and he does this by lavishing gifts on them. His 'friends', many notable people in the City of Athens, rush to gain his favour. They buy him small gifts - he repays them with big gifts. He ignores the warnings about false friends from the philosopher Apemantus and his extravagance catches up with him in the end when is faced with unpaid bills. When asked for help his 'friends' ignore him. He sends invitations to the Athenians to a 'banquet' and uses the occasion to berate them for being false and he leaves Athens a poor but wiser man. The hero finds gold and becomes rich once again and befriends General Alcibiades who has also been treated badly by the Athenians. He provides the money for the General to wage war against the Athenians and seek revenge for their falseness. The story continues with various people visiting Timon with differing motives. The Athenians beg General Alcibiades for mercy. Timon then dies and a soldier brings the General a copy of the inscription on his gravestone