After the sudden death of her father, Maria Brinkenhof becomes the mistress of a stately manor in Sauerland. After having been destroyed by fire, Maria rebuilt the farm and, with hard work and a lot of discipline and clear goals, has led it to new economic successes. However, one day, Jasper, her father's brother  --- a criminal --- returns to Germany from the United States and demands his share of the estate. Maria ralles her friends, employees, and the local villagers, none of whom was the devious Jasper from taking possession of the farm. However, there's a dark secret in Maria's past ... one that Jasper knows about and wants to exploit to force Maria off the farm.