Ursula Diewen, daughter of a recently-deceased merchant, is engaged to marry Heinrich Heinsius. On the wedding day, Ursula's friend Martha Detleffson tells her that Heinrich is the father of her illegitimate child. Ursula cancels the wedding and takes refuge in a country estate; Heinrich commits suicide. Ursula meets young schoolteacher Uwe Alsiev, and the two find they have much in common. Martha arrives and arranges with Ursula to have her child boarded at the home of a nearby pastor. Village gossips then spread the word that the child is Uwe's.