In the mountains of the Ötztal, the wealthy Fender (Eduard Köck) and Wally (Heath Hatheyer), his only daughter and heir, manage a small farm. He wants to marry the rich, but boring, Vincent (Leopold Esterle). Wally escapes to a mountain hut, where she lives alone and withdrawn. Her love belongs to the hunter, Joseph (Sepp Rist). When she unwisely takes a young vulture from its nest and is attacked by the mother, Joseph comes to her aid and from that point on, she fondly calls him her "Geierwally". He also feels attracted to her, but Wally can't escape the feeling, that the young Afra is his mistress. Mad with jealousy, Wally announces that she'll marry the one who kills Josef. Vincent wants to earn her hand and is determined to kill the Geierwally. Just in time, though, the actual relationship between Joseph and Afra is clarified.

A German coach trains two Japanese ski jumpers for the upcoming Olympic Games.

An expedition goes in search of a party lost in the Arctic a year earlier.

There’s excitement in a small mountain village in the Tyrol: The mountain climbers Margit Sollerer and Wolf Pretorius, who’ve already conquered so many difficult peaks, have arrived to climb the 'Pillar'. Especially difficult about the 'Pillar' is an extreme overhang, which even Hias Holleis’ sons Toni and Franz haven’t been able to climb. Since Hias wants to prevent his village becoming the laughing stock of Tyrol -which no doubt will be the case if the strangers are able to climb what the locals can’t- he dares both his sons to try the climb again.

For Count Egge, there is only one meaningful way of life: living in the magnificent natural surroundings of his mountains. Only hunting matters to him; he even neglects his own children for its sake. Inevitably, this leads to conflicts that result in tragic alienation within the family. These conflicts continue even after the youngest son, Willy, is found dead and Count Tassilo, the eldest, breaks with his father, whose stubbornness he can no longer bear.

The wealthy farm heir Toni loves the maid Maria, but is supposed to marry the wealthy neighbor's daughter Annerl. She only has eyes for a penniless woodcarver. Only when Toni's stubborn father dies does a future for the lovers begin.

When a hunter returns home after two years, he finds nothing is like it used to be, as his cruel rival has stolen his bride.