Medical student Frank Braun (Karlheinz Bohm) arrives at his uncle's estate, Professor Jacob ten Brinken (Erich von Stroheim), to ask for a loan in order to continue his studies to become a doctor. Instead he comes across a beautiful woman Alraune (Hildegard Knef) gazing outside on the second story of the house. Upon asking the maid (Gardy Brombacher), she claims to not know of any guests staying at the moment and to return the next day to see his uncle. He meets with his friends Ralph Goutram (Rolf Henniger) and Count "Gerald" Geroldingen, (Harry Meyenrin). Desperately anxious to know the identity of the mysterious woman, they decide return to ten Brinken's home. While Gerald and Ralph don't meet her, Frank manages to strike a conversation with Alraune, and learn's she is his daughter, who ran away from the university, and asks him to meet her again the next day at the nearby sundial.