On 26th of August 1939 the Ocania1 steamboat leaves the New York harbour with the ex-spy Maria Holm on board. Now she is the owner of a dressmaker's showroom, but for just one last time is taking important documents to Europe for the sake of peace.
dr. Benedek Gábor, a famous solicitor in Eger, is the defense counsel of a murderer, who killed his wife out of jealousy. Gábor lives in a happy marriage with Anna. One day, however, Szentgyörgyi Péter, a famous pianist, comes to Eger. He once was loved by Anna, who in those days was training to become an artist herself. Gábor has no knowledge of these events of the past. He, therefore, associates the now renewed relationship with the story of the murderer he is the legal representative of.
Two girls run away from a small village. Gyöngyi comes from an aristocratic family and her father throws her out of the house when he discovers she has gotten pregnant out of wedlock. She finds herself wandering the streets of Budapest and earns money playing the violin in a restaurant. Vica is an orphaned peasant; she is afraid of her stepfather and moves to the city where she gets a job on a construction site. Gyöngyi and Vica meet on the streets of Budapest, move in together and turn their lives around.
Set in Paris (which looks more like Budapest), the story concerns a murder investigation conducted by one Judge Henri Tessier. The audience is led to believe that Robert Petrovich, estranged husband of Tessier's sweetheart Marion, is responsible for the murder.
After her husband dies, a German woman who gave up her infant for adoption to emigrate to America returns to Germany, discovering that her child is being raised by a married orchestra conductor.
