Magdalena's dark drama spans a period of six weeks. In Berghofen, a village near Dachau, live the honorable, respected small farmers Thomas Mayr, known as Paulimann, and his wife Mariann. They have been married for 37 years ("Und hat mi'koan Tag net g'reut"), but now the woman is wasting away. This is not least due to their daughter Magdalena, who moved to the big city to work as a seamstress, where she went astray and got into trouble with the law. She is now brought home in disgrace, to the jeers of the villagers. Nevertheless, on his deathbed, he promises his wife that he will not chase Leni out of the house.