An English traveler on excursion from Munich dismisses his hotelier's and driver's warnings about the approaching night of Walpurgis. Ignoring the terrified coachman Johann, who refuses to enter a forbidden, abandoned village associated with suicides and vampires, the traveler insists on exploring the desolate countryside on foot. As the sun sets, a severe snow and hail storm overtakes the region, forcing the traveler to seek shelter within a lonely marble tomb bearing the inscription of Countess Dolingen de Gratz.
Inside the terrifying mausoleum during a lightning strike, the traveler glimpses a beautiful woman lying dormant on a bier before a violent blast throws him back into the storm. A bolt of lightning shatters the monument, engulfing the undead figure in flames and awakening a horde of phantom corpses rising from their graves. Overcome by the freezing cold and exhaustion, the traveler collapses into a paralyzed, semi-conscious state while a massive wolf lies upon his chest, keeping him warm with its breath without tearing his throat.
Rescue arrives when a patrol of soldiers bearing torches approaches the cemetery, causing the giant wolf to flee into the snowy darkness. Mistaking the traveler for dead or prey, the soldiers revive him with brandy and hoist him onto a horse as they hurriedly abandon the cursed ground. By morning, the young officer instructs his men to report that they merely found an Englishman guarded by a large dog, silencing their protests as they return toward Munich.