Sculptor Max Kolbe has rented a room with the Käselau family as a "furnished gentleman" to escape his love-struck bride and to work in peace for an exhibition. But he is not safe from anything in this tenement: the women's lives seem to be dominated by gossip, curiosity and envy. But the men are no better! Kolbe's false name and his actions arouse the strongest suspicions in the house: why doesn't he go to work? Is he doing shady business? What are the young ladies looking for with him?

Henriette Johanne Marie Müller, known as Zitronenjette, was a Hamburg original. At the end of the 19th century, she traveled through the streets and bars of Hamburg's harbour and Neustadt districts with a basket full of lemons to make a living selling the fruit. Lemon, lemon, that's how she advertised her wares and was known not only for her unusual appearance, but also for her drinking strength.