Retired Hofrat Geiger discovers by chance that he has an illegitimate daughter. He goes to visit her, but is turned away, even though she is in financial difficulties (her inn is very run-down and has no customers). To obtain Austrian citizenship, she marries the Hofrat—planned only on paper—but he is responsible for processing her naturalization and delays it to ensure she stays close to him. At the same time, behind her back, he ensures that her inn is renovated.