The main theme of this story is love and marriage. Herbert Onslow, a young English bank clerk, works in Munich for a German bank owned by the Heine Brothers. The younger Heine branch takes the young British man into their homes, where he falls in love with the eldest sister, Isa Heine. But this isn't England: Isa is a cool-headed young lady who refuses to marry until Herbert has proven that he can run a separate household. These rules are reinforced by Isa's family. Herbert will be made a partner in Heine Brothers within four years unless he can get some money from his family. Will Herbert Onslow make partners? Will Isa finally agree to marry him?