After the death of her parents, Ria Rottmann is taken in by her friends, the Matern family. Patriarch Rolf Matern had once taken advantage of Ria's father in business. But as the shy love between Ria and Matern's son Heinz grows, the shadows of the past recede.

Count Harro von Treuenfels is suspected of poisoning his wife. Griseldis von Ronach, his daughter's governess, falls in love with the count and sets out to find the real culprit.