The count Egge is barely a visitor in his Alpine family castle Hubertus, being preoccupied with hunting. He's furious when his young adult sons miss an annual municipal hunting concession auction, being both in love with local commoner girls, deemed undesirable although their mother was an actress herself, as is their sister's lover, painter Forbeck. So comital heir Tassilo marries in secret, spare heir Willy courts 'discretely'. Then tragedy strikes, with further consequences for the whole comital family.