 Marcas, a mighty blacksmith, lives with his daughter Gabrielle, his son Jean, and old Grandmother Marcas in the town of Louvain, Belgium. Far away in Berlin lives Emperor William II, the Kaiser of Germany. The Kaiser is in a foul mood and hurls numerous insults at Captain von Wohlbold. The Captain, able to endure no more, strikes the Kaiser, then commits suicide to atone for his disgrace. The Kaiser soon after declares war, announcing his intention to invade Belgium. Marcas tries to calm the fears of his townspeople, saying that Belgium has signed a treaty of neutrality with Germany, but the Kaiser has torn up the treaty, and soon troops march into Louvain. When a soldier seizes Gabrielle, Marcas kills the men, then throws the body into a burning building to hide his crime. The Lusitania is sunk and the Kaiser bestows on the U-boat captain a special medal, but the thoughts of the women and children he drowned haunts the officer and he goes mad. The President of the United States declares war on Germany, whereupon great troops of soldiers begin to march. The Kaiser is brought the news of the American entrance into the war and is stunned. An end to the war soon comes, and the Kaiser becomes a prisoner of the Belgians.