Lena is a young vivacious and outgoing woman with an older husband and a lover who she gave in to after repeated requests. But when the husband falls seriously ill, Lena decides to break off the relationship. Then the husband dies. After some time Lena once again accepts the attentions of a man and gets officially engaged to him without knowing that he is her old lover’s brother. Love blossoms suddenly but the two are headed for a tragic end.

«(…) Asta Nielsen has celebrated her awakening from the long winter sleep… the utmost dramatic force is here married with extremely meticulous precision work. She is the master of naturalism. Her nervous hand dispenses such subtle emotions that mere words would be too clumsy to express them» (Der Film, 1918).