In the changing rhythm of the seasons, the life of the city and its people unfolds: the May Festival is celebrated, puppeteers arrive, the Elector invites guests to his castle in Tangermünde, and Christmas and Easter bring families together in festive gatherings. However, Grete Minde is an outcast. Since the death of her father, the respected councilor, she has been defenseless against her greedy brother and his hard-hearted wife. Her restless nature, caught between a deep longing for love and a blazing hatred, cannot be soothed even by the peace of nature. Rejected in her feelings and deprived of what is rightfully hers, her gentleness transforms into the recklessness of destruction and downfall.