Der Scheingemahl plot
After the death of her husband, Baroness Oldenau ends up in abject poverty. Her son Horst has to resign from the army and has since worked as secretary for the newly wealthy entrepreneur Hartmann. Actually, it is the job of the young baron to teach his boss good manners and thus make life in Berlin as pleasant as possible. Hartmann's daughter Margot has a soft spot for Horst, but her father tells her to marry the Austrian prince Nordheim at all costs. A bride from a middle-class family is apparently not good enough for the monarch's family.