Two farmers, Grimm and Melcher, were once on friendly terms, but a petty argument over a piece of land has since turned them into implacable enemies. Their children Veronika (Grit Stephan) and Fabian (Thomas Wetzel) likewise used to be childhood friends. When they meet again as young adults, they instantly fall in love, despite the bitter feud between their families. With no hope for a future together, the couple seeks to end their lives.

This retelling of the classic Shakespearean play is based on a short story with the same name in Gottfried Keller's Die Leute von Selawyla.