Living in Nuremberg under the care of her deeply religious but relentlessly severe aunt Charlotte Staubach, Linda Tressel recoils when her aunt attempts to arrange her marriage to the much older town clerk Peter Steinmarc, while her suppressed affection for the unconventional and politically suspect young Ludovic Valcarm grows stronger, drawing her into an increasingly painful conflict between the religious obedience demanded of her and her own desire for love and personal freedom. After Ludovic secretly enters the house and declares his love, Linda admits her feelings for him, but Charlotte and Peter tighten their control and continue pressing the unwanted marriage, and when Linda seeks advice from the respected Herr Molk she learns that Ludovic has been imprisoned and is again urged to accept Peter, leaving her with the growing realization that the respectable society surrounding her is united in demanding a life she cannot willingly choose.