Grete, a red-haired maid at the court of a respected farmer, is caught in the sights of two drunken roughnecks as she cleans her laundry by the stream. They rape her and falsely accuse her of witchcraft and ensure that Grete is transferred to the dark witch tower. There she is subjected to strict interrogation: she is brought up for punishment, she has to hang with heavy weights on her tender feet. Afterwards the maltreated witch woman is publicly pilloried naked. Here the people may judge her, this is the verdict. Quickly a small group of righteous citizens forms around the woman, to torture and humiliate her as punishment for her sinful offences...