Andri is a young man who has been raised by the Teacher ("der Lehrer") and the Mother ("die Mutter") as their Jewish adopted son alongside their daughter Barblin; the Teacher claims to have rescued Andri from the anti-Semitic Blacks ("die Schwarzen") in the neighbouring country. Apart from Andri and Barblin, the other characters are referred to by their occupations or roles (though most do have names). After some of twelve scenes (which are called "Bilder", meaning "pictures"), characters come forth to a witness box and talk about Andri's death in the past tense (each additional scene is denoted "Vordergrund", which means "foreground"). In this way, information about Andri's parentage and fate is gradually revealed. Each townsperson attempts to rationalise their involvement in Andri's death; only the Priest ("der Pater") is willing to accept any guilt. Every character alive at the end of the play makes such a statement, except for Barblin, the Mother, and the non-speaking characters.