The young veterinarian Dr. Vlimmen is to become the head of the slaughterhouse in a small town in Brabant. When he reports the conditions there as cruelty to animals, he makes an enemy of the influential butcher van Heusden, who starts a smear campaign against him. Only his sister Truus and his friend, lawyer Dacka, who loves Truus, still stay with Vlimmen. Finally it succeeds in clearing Vlimmen's name. Through a daring operation, he regains his reputation and also finds his way to Nel, the daughter of the van der Kalk city council.