Temporarily in Vienna as a political emigrant from Germany, he wanted the film to make a statement against fascism and authoritarian government.

Even so, the film passed the strict censors not only of the Third Reich but also of Austria, presumably because all political references were veiled by their setting in a royal court of the 18th century.

The young countess Beate von Dörnberg is travelling to Schönburg to the court of Duke Karl Theodor to take up residence as a lady in waiting.

During a discussion about the performance with Duke Karl Theodor, an attempt is made to press the young actor Peter Tamm into service in the army for the colonial wars of the Generalstaaten for which Minister von Creven has hired out Karl Theodor's army.

Florian gets his own back at a masked ball, where he hits von Creven across the face with a riding crop.

Florian hears the ensuing argument and decides to intervene, dressed as the Duke, of whom he is an exact double, to order the crowd to disperse.

Despite its anti-authoritarian plot this film, critical of fascism, was passed by both the German and Austrian censors, presumably because the period setting masked the contemporary relevance of the content.

For example, the film contains a piece of dialogue in which the Minister insists that the captain obey his order to shoot the 70 malcontented and rebellious subjects, which makes clear the contrast between dictatorship and humanitarianism: Captain: I can't do that!Minister: What is that supposed to mean?