Ehre (1917)

The story begins in Chicago, where Ralph O’Donell owns one of the city’s largest breweries. The young Helene Berger works for him, and Ralph has his eye on her. They fall in love and eventually marry. At first, everything is blissful, and they have two children. When Helene’s aunt, who raised her, dies in Europe, Mrs. O’Donell becomes the sole heir to her estate overnight. The couple travels to Europe to inspect the inheritance. Helene wistfully dwells on old memories while her husband takes the opportunity to visit his business associate, Zell. Ralph is extremely jealous, and before their wedding he made Helene promise that she had never loved another man before him. So he is all the more horrified when he comes home unexpectedly early and sees Helene going through old love letters. Startled, Helene throws the letters into the open fire so as not to give her husband cause for jealousy. One letter falls beside it and escapes the flames. Ralph picks it up and reads it. So it’s true: there was a man in Helene’s life before him! Ralph seethes with anger: his wife has lied to him! O’Donell consults his business associate Zell, who advises him to meet the well-known lawyer Dr. West, a divorce specialist. West says they must find out who wrote the letter so that he can be called as a witness in court in the event of a divorce trial. When the lawyer reads the letter, he is horrified to realize that he himself wrote it long ago. An antiquated understanding of honor would require Dr. West to explain himself to O’Donell and then shoot himself with a revolver. Understandably, however, the lawyer has not the slightest desire to commit suicide over such an old matter. While Hans West desperately searches for a way out, Helene at home is lost in memories of her youthful love. They had first met in the flower shop where she worked as a saleswoman. Their happiness had begun to blossom, but one day Hans West wrote her a farewell letter, essentially saying that his career mattered more to him at that point than a relationship with her. As Helene broods over her dreary memories, Ralph returns and tells her that he has filed for divorce and will move into a hotel. Helene’s pleading and begging are to no avail; her confirmed bachelor of a husband leaves the house. Helene promptly faints, as befits the occasion. Hans West finds her in this state, having come to consult with her about what to do next. Helene demands that he destroy the remaining letter and tell her husband that he was unable to track down its author. Ralph coolly dismisses his former love and leaves her house again. At his next meeting with his client, West tells him that he himself wrote the letter, but that his relationship with Helene had never been anything more than purely friendly. O’Donell does not believe him and announces that he intends to find a new lawyer. At last, the court hearing is approaching, and Helene makes one final attempt to reconcile with her stubborn husband. Only when she swears on the lives of their two children that nothing intimate ever happened between her and Dr. West is Ralph willing to make up. She hurries home to begin preparations for their return to Chicago at once. Since Hans West has also received a subpoena to appear in court, he now goes to Ralph and confesses that he did in fact have an affair with Helene. At that very moment Helene arrives and confesses everything. Ralph throws her out, and Helene wonders whether she should throw herself into the water. Furious with Hans West, she rushes to his apartment to confront him. When she arrives, she finds her former childhood sweetheart dead. West’s servant, having learned of an expected delivery of money, has murdered and robbed his master. Helene tries to flee, but soon the police, summoned by West’s housekeeper, pursue and apprehend her. It is all too much for the poor woman, and in prison Helene begins to lose her sanity. At last, the unfortunate woman is taken to an asylum for the mentally ill, where Ralph visits her regularly.