Bruno Hellwinkel

The young farmer Hinnerk has managed to make something of his estate thanks to the help of his servant Hannes; only his household budget is a mess. One day, Hinnerk notices a pretty young girl at the rail station and immediately recognizes that it’s his childhood friend, Ilske Roehling. But when he makes a play for her, she tells him to take a long walk off a very short pier. At a dance party at the Bakenhus Inn, he sees her again and manages to get into a fight with the innkeeper. Worse still, he kidnaps Ilske in his car; takes her to his farm; and tries to force her to consent to marriage.

Already a famous painter, Rembrandt van Rijn is commissioned to paint the Amsterdam Archers' Guild. But upon completion of the picture, the men of the guild feel duped, because they don't consider themselves flatteringly depicted in the painting. They therefore decline to pay for the work. During this dispute, the painter finds out his wife is close to death. He finds himself terribly lonely after her passing and suffers from depression until he decides once more to marry.