Young Prince Nechljudov is summoned as a judge in a murder trial. A rich merchant was found dead in the room of the inn where he was staying and the prostitute Maslova was accused of the crime. Nechljudov recognizes in the woman the maid of the aunts he had seduced and abandoned years before and tries to convince the authorities of her of his innocence but to no avail. Convinced that he is responsible for her moral fall, he follows her to Siberia where she must serve her sentence.

Singing sailor Hannes, who now entertains the crowd at St. Pauli's Hippodrome after years at sea, promises his dying brother that he will take care of his ex-girlfriend Gisa. Taking Gisa to Hamburg to live with him, Hannes quickly falls in love with her, but soon has to face Gisa's affection for another man, Willem.

Peter, a young, bankrupt homeowner, wants to sell his house and move in with his aunt Agathe in the countryside. In the meantime, his friend Albert and his niece Inge are supposed to guard the house. When he learns that the three crooks Boxer-Franz, Taschen-August, and Klau-Maxe are already living there, he breaks into his own house, where he encounters the three burglars, who mistake him for a "colleague." The crooks expect him to pretend to be the homeowner and want to keep the proceeds for themselves.

Countess Franziska "is kidnapped" by a band of robbers. However, her father is not willing to pay the ransom so Franziska changes sides.

The multi-millionaire Eduard Schlüter takes part under the name Schulze in a raffle of his own Schlüter works and wins a stay at the Grand Hotel. Disguised as a poor swallower, he would like to study the reactions of the hotel staff and guests. As an assistant, he takes his reliable servant Johann with him. Once there, he makes friends and also has cause for annoyance when his daughter and the housekeeper arrive.

No matter how much the pastor rails against it, people in his village love each other left and right. No wonder there are so many illegitimate children. Now Toni, a farmer's son, wants to marry Vevi, a waitress. Toni's father secretly fears that Vevi is the fruit of his loins...

The pupil Rull rehearses the uprising at a grammar school in Bremen and tries to break through the authoritarian structures of his school. The result is a humorous protest movement that demands a democratic school form.