Antal Pager defends a strange woman, Maria Lazar, and the next thing he knows he is named a co-respondent in a divorce case. Noboy believes his story that Maria is a stranger he has never seen before and his family press him to marry the divorcée as the right thing to do. He does so with the understanding that they will be divorced as soon as possible. But the best-laid plans sometimes change.

The title character in Maria Nover (Sister Maria) is played by Eva Szorenyi. A convent-bred lass on the verge of taking her final vows, Maria falls in love with a handsome artist, portrayed by popular operatic baritone Sandor Sved. Due to a silly misunderstanding, she walks out on Sved and marries his best friend Paul Javor. The frustrated suitor quits the art world to become a world-famous concert singer. Years later, he returns to reclaim Maria, only to find that she's not only still a wife, but also a mother and a dedicated nurse. Gracefully bowing out of her life, the Pagliacci-like Sved continues his singing career to assuage his broken heart.