A scientist, Professor Jakob ten Brinken, interested in the laws of heredity, impregnates a prostitute in a laboratory with the semen of a hanged murderer. The prostitute conceives a female child who has no concept of love, whom the professor adopts. The girl, Alraune, suffers from obsessive sexuality and perverse relationships throughout her life. She learns of her unnatural origins and she avenges herself against the professor.

A radio correspondent tries to rescue a burlesque queen from her marriage to a Nazi official.

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

A mystery writer is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose dead body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, in order to learn more about the man. Along the way he is joined by the mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation.

A devoted secretary embarks on a dangerous mission to try to find the elusive woman who may prove her boss didn't murder his wife.

In 1942, a young paratrooper in the RAF returns to Czechoslovakia to encourage his fellow countrymen to sabotage the German war effort.

An innocent young man, burglar Cheri-Bibi, and his gangsters are sent to a penal colony.

"Les Trois Valses" traces the love story of two people over three eras. In the first waltz (music based on Johann Strauss I), Yvonne is a sensitive Parisian ballet dancer, whose romance with a dashing officer is brought to an abrupt end by his family. She goes off to Vienna to become a big star. In the second waltz, her daughter, an even bigger star, but now of Paris music halls, has a brief flirtation with the rakish man-about-town who is the son of suitor number one. She throws him over pretty quickly for a chance to shine at a Gala performance. Finally, in the third waltz, the two get together, when she is a movie star, and he is posing as an insurance salesman.

Viktoria is a Hungarian countess who believes her Hussar captain husband was killed in World War I. She marries an American and resettles at the American consulate in Tokyo. Her first husband reappears, alive; and the American generously releases Viktoria from their union.

During a spectacular break-in at the villa of film star Marion Milner, the jewel thieves fortunately only manage to get their hands on imitations of the valuable jewelry. The police suspect the notorious master thief Silver-Jim, whom they have long been after. The commotion surrounding the break-in comes in quite handy for film producer Otto Pitt, who is currently shooting a crime film, as he hopes it will generate some free publicity for his project.