1865: Swiss captain Bluntschli fights as mercenary in the war between Bulgaria and Serbia. When his group's attacked by a few Bulgarian troopers, he learns that he's got the wrong ammunition for his cannon and has to flee. His flight leads him right into the bedroom of his enemy's fiancée.

An actress used to playing only bit parts becomes the center of attention when a movie director buys her life story as a film project, she is now faced with a psychological crisis.

A drug-addicted ballerina seeks morphine during the Salzburg Festival, nearly ruining pharmacist Hans Falkner’s marriage to Anna. A doctor prescribes a lethal dose of morphine to the ballerina, but Anna, tempted to eliminate her rival, ultimately chooses morality and administers the correct dose.