The book tells the story of three fierce black-clad robbers who terrorize and plunder the countryside, armed with a blunderbuss, a pepper blower, and a huge red axe. One night, they meet a small girl called Tiffany, who is on her way to live with a wicked aunt. Tiffany is delighted to meet the robbers, and they take her back to their hideout in place of their usual haul of gold and jewels. Tiffany asks what they plan to do with their riches, but the robbers had never thought about spending money before. They soon find themselves embarking on a completely new career: they gather all of the lost, unhappy, and abandoned children that they can find, and then they buy a big castle so they can give all of the children a happy home.
《三个强盗》描述三个装扮和武器都很奇特的强盗，在山洞里存放了一箱箱抢来的金银财宝，但他们从没想过要用他们的财宝……直到有一个夜晚，他们拦下的马车里竟然只有一个孤儿，他们就将小女孩带回山洞；之后，强盗被纯真的小女孩感动了，于是将抢来的财宝，建起了福利院，把所有走丢的、不快乐的、没人要的小孩，都接到城堡里，让孩子都有地方住。渐渐地，孩子们长大了，他们心存感激，于是建了三座强盗帽子形状的塔，来纪念三个强盗。