Franz Moor, the youngest son of Maximilian Moor, is a ruthless nobleman who wants to deprive his older brother Karl of his birth-right by slandering him to their father, backing his false accusations up with fabricated evidence. The charismatic Karl, whose free nature and rebellious temperament has made him the old Count’s favourite, is informed by his brother that he is to be disinherited. Desperate, he assembles a group of robbers and decides to live as an outlaw in the forest. Until, that is, he learns of his brother’s betrayal and decides to take revenge.