A cowardly king becomes dependent on an evil prince who desires the king's daughter as his wife. As the princess does not want to marry, she is banished to a barren valley as a cattle maid. The king flees and the prince now rules the land with his robber journeymen. On his wanderings, journeyman Hans comes to the lonely valley and defeats the king's daughter's guards. On his further journey, he encounters destruction and devastation. He frees a miller and learns from him that the land can be redeemed from the cruel prince if a fearless person spends one night in the castle.