The examining magistrate Hopek goes to a lonely manor house to settle a property matter with the lord of the manor. When he arrives, he learns that the lord of the manor has died of a heart attack during the night. Although everything suggests that the lord died of natural causes, the strange behavior of the lord's family and servants arouses the suspicion of the examining magistrate, and he begins to investigate. The very first results strengthen his doubts. He finally succeeds in unmasking the landowner's son. The film is based on a short novella by Witold Gombrowicz, who was awarded the International Literature Prize in 1967.

A Nordic fishermen's village surrounded by the raging sea. This is were fisherman Haldor (Wilhelm Borchert) is living. His marriage with the proud Salvör (Heidemarie Hatheyer) is going to be impend. While on the sea in a storm, he is being cast upon an island. There he falls in love with the farmer's girl Maria (Ingrid Andree). When Haldor learns, that Maria is pregnant, he takes her with him back home. Salvör who was still waiting, hates him for that and marries a rich merchant. Twenty years later Haldor's daughter Gunna and Salvör's son Ragnar, are falling in love with each other. And only now Haldor learns from Salvör that Ragnar is his son.

The young hotel manager Leutner runs for study purposes a transmitter in the hotel room of his fiancée Maria. Coincidentally he learns that a gang of counterfeiters want to get rid of a troublesome witness at 12:15 AM. Will Leutner be able to prevent this… and can he trust his fiancée at all? Cheats, swindlers, forgers and murderers are hiding under the mask of honest and reputable hotel guests.

Heinrich George plays Henner who lives with his wife and child on a tugboat, going on the river to Berlin. There he meets the attractive Gescha (Betty Amann), and a story of love, betrayal and sadness ensues.