The journeyman Fritz lives in a village in the Erzgebirge at the turn of the 19th into the 20th Century. The focus of his life is the cat “Lampe”. But the cat has made itself unwelcome in the town and finally, community leader Ermscher, who can’t stand Lampe, sees the opportunity to take the animal into police custody. The young and rich American, Lotte Hempel, notices the talented woodcutter, who has made a sort of snow shoe, which is the forerunner of today’s skis. When he receives a large bonus for his work, he creates a joint venture for the making of snowshoes to prevent the exploitation of the homeworkers by a rich manufacturer. Lotte quickly allies herself to him, for the exploiter is no other than her uncle, whom she is determined to stop.