The Vicious Circle plot
"Break it... or be broken!"
In Hungary, wealthy baron and speculator Arady discovers extensive oil deposits beneath the nearby property owned by the villagers. The baron succeeds in having all the owners sell their real estate to him, except for the properties of five farmers. Enraged because they refuse to sell their land to him, the baron, with the help of some corrupt local police officers, tries to accuse these farmers of murdering a woman who actually committed suicide. The farmers turn to the conscientious lawyer Karl Nemesch for support.