'alte Haus' Summary

Years later, as the trial over the Quetzlinberger inheritance nears its end, young Mr. Schierling arrives to claim his inheritance as the main heir. He is welcomed into the Hechner family home, but Marie is shocked to recognize him as Gundelrebe from her dream, one of the ghostly inhabitants of the old house. His main opponent in the trial is Dr. Hetzelhofer, who lives across the street from the sealed house with his sister, Marie's friend, and his assistant Schwiebus. Schwiebus' friendly nature contrasts sharply with the gruesome and fantastical stories he sometimes tells, and he also seems to have a connection to the old house. The trial unfolds, with Schierling presenting evidence of his lineage and Hetzelhofer contesting it. Marie, torn between her feelings for Schierling and her belief in the supernatural, finds herself drawn into the mystery of the old house and its ghostly inhabitants. As the trial reaches its climax, the lines between reality and the supernatural blur, and Marie must confront the truth about the old house and its secrets.