Silent movie adaptation of Lessing's play. Set in Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, it describes how the wise Jewish merchant Nathan, the enlightened sultan Saladin and the (initially anonymous) Templar bridge their gaps between Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
The cooper's daughter, Zsuzsi, is being wooed by Peter. Her father doesn't want to hear a word of it, as Peter drinks heavily. Before God, Peter vows never to drink again, and thus wins the hand of Zsuzsi. Peter becomes a hard-working man, earning the envy of the whole village. A conspiracy ensues-- the men get him drunk, and soon, Peter's life spirals out of control.
Irene flees her village with circus fisherman Aristid, endures a failed marriage and returns home only to be rejected by her father—who nonetheless raises her daughter Anikó, before they all relocate to town, where Irene remarries wealthy Gustav but remains unhappy without her father and child by her side. When a spiteful caretaker kidnaps Anikó to thwart them, Gustav and the authorities rescue the girl, revealing her grandfather’s true identity and reuniting mother, daughter and father at last.
