Twenty years ago, twin brothers Adriaan and Paul van der Bijl went their separate ways after an argument that left Adriaan blind. Embittered, Adriaan stayed on in his diabetic father’s mansion, eventually marrying the sick man’s beautiful nurse Marie.On the day of his father’s funeral, which Adriaan does not attend, Paul returns. The brothers’ meeting is not friendly: a shot rings out, and one lies dead. Adriaan tells his manservant, Freddie, that he killed Paul in self-defence. As the two are trying to dispose of the body, a detective knocks on the door. He has been hired to find Paul, who may be a beneficiary in the old man’s will. And to make matters worse, Marie is becoming suspicious as well.

After a drunken hit-and-run, composer Fritz is released from prison and wanders the country in search of work and solace.