The film depicts the early life of the reformer Martin Luther and was produced by the Berlin and Vienna-based production company Rubin-Film. The premiere took place on September 1, 1913. The showing of the film in Austria was banned because the film was likely to offend religious sensibilities. On April 20, 1921, following a complaint from the producer Báron, this decision was overturned by the film inspection authority with the restriction that the film “may not be shown in front of young people”.

The guests at Count Otto von Trepow's East Prussian estate Gross-Ehrenfeld are Lord and Lady Ruthven, Mr Hendriks with his wife and foster-daughter Mariska, a gypsy they adopted years ago, Kundry, the fiancée of Otto's son Bernhard, and Count Stanislaus Larinski, who claims to be a Polish revolutionary wanted by the Russian government. A boating trip is organized but ends when the motor breaks down. While waiting for it to be repaired, the guests go to an inn run by Andreas and his daughter Käthe. Hendriks goes for a walk, sees the boat come back and that a man with a bent back leaves it. He notices that Kundry is afraid of Bernhard.

A minister founds a fraud company, but a lawyer smells a rat.