Willi, a brash young lieutenant in the Austrian Imperial Guard, bent on an evening of pleasure, visits a gambling parlor and house of ill-repute. He meets Laura, a sweet innocent girl and spends the night with her, leaving her money in the morning. Devastated to realize that he found her a mere convenience, she becomes the mistress of Herr Schnabel, an unpleasant but wealthy gentleman. Never quite getting over Laura, Willi is goaded by her into gambling with Schnabel and losing more money to him than he can possibly repay. Laura is unaware that Willi must either pay his debt by the next day or take the only other honorable way out: committing suicide.