When Mrs. Treuherz, the piano teacher, spots the white drake in front of the poultry shop, she doesn't hesitate: This bird is named Ellington. And because he looks at her in a certain way and she knows his name, she buys Ellington and takes him home. They get along well; the piano teacher flourishes, and her students find the drake remarkable. However, he soon yearns for fresh air in his feathers, so she puts him on a leash and takes him on outings to the pond, where he swims with the other ducks. As it becomes increasingly difficult to pull Ellington out of the water in the evenings, Mrs. Treuherz stops the outings. He is a bundle of misfortune, and she is at a loss. But then something happens in the life of the piano teacher that frees both her and Ellington in an instant.