A British family takes revenge into its own hands in avenging their recently slain daughter.

Heidi is an orphaned girl initially raised by her aunt Dete in Maienfeld, Switzerland. In order to get a job in Frankfurt, Dete brings 5-year-old Heidi to her grandfather, who has been at odds with the villagers for years and lives in seclusion on the alm. He at first resents Heidi's arrival, but the girl manages to penetrate his harsh exterior and subsequently has a delightful stay with him and her best friend, young Peter the goat-herd.

A demobbed soldier, Gordon Laid, returning from World War II meets Maxine Lupercal, a member of a traveling troupe of actors returning to England on the same ship. As Gordon closely resembles a member of the troupe of actors, mistaken identity causes him to become embroiled in various murders and an international espionage plot involving a cigarette lighter that strangely affects electricity. The action reaches its comical climax on stage with Gordon and his double as the spies and the police converge on the theatre is a desperate attempt to retrieve the missing cigarette lighter.

1960/61: The decline of the aristocracy.