Lucien Knops (Nand Buyl) is a grumpy old man. When his wife passes away, he moves in with his daughter Gerda. It doesn't take long before tensions rise and Lucien moves back into his old house, claiming that his new lover will move in with him. Gerda is worried that she will miss out on her father's inheritance; even more so when an interesting new woman moves in next door to Lucien.

A renowned conductor suddenly pulls out of an evening rehearsal of Madame Butterfly. The opera director senses something is going on and forces the musician to explain himself.