Magda longs to move from respectable poverty to the carefree world of the rich. Against her mother's and uncle's admonition, she elopes with her lover, the frivolous Sándor Tomory, who promises her a life of luxury. Her happiness doesn't last long, the young man soon tires of her and leaves her. In despair, Magda flees to suicide. She is rescued and cared for in her uncle's house. Here she learns that Tomory has been arrested for forging bills of exchange. The uncle, "the watchmaker of the soul", tries to save this lost soul. He frees the boy, giving him a chance to start over. Tomory regrets his recklessness and vows to change. He asks Magda to marry him. Disappointed, she at first spurns the unfaithful young man, but when she is convinced that he has truly reformed, she forgives him and marries him.