Diederich Heßling is scared of everything and everyone. But as he grows up, he comes to realize that he has to offer his services to the powers-that-be if he wants to wield power himself. His life motto now runs: bow to those at the top and tread on those below. In this way, he always succeeds: as a student in a duel-fighting student fraternity and as a businessman in a paper factory. He cajoles the obese district administrative president Von Wulkow and wins his favor. He slanders his financial rivals and hatches a plot with the social democrats in the town council. On his honeymoon with his rich wife Guste, he finally finds a chance to do his beloved Kaiser a favor. And when a memorial to the Kaiser is unveiled in the town where Diederich lives and works, he delivers the address. He stands behind the lectern in the pouring rain, saluting his Kaiser. The crowd is dispersed. Everything is laid in ruins...

This film is believed to be lost.

The film depicts the early life of the reformer Martin Luther and was produced by the Berlin and Vienna-based production company Rubin-Film. The premiere took place on September 1 1913. The showing of the film in Austria was banned because the film was likely to offend religious sensibilities. On April 20, 1921, following a complaint from the producer Báron, this decision was overturned by the film inspection authority with the restriction that the film “may not be shown in front of young people”.