The father, Pattijn, is a former music teacher whose dream is to write a concerto that will make him world famous. His wife fantasizes about marrying a wealthy nobleman. Their daughter Andrea dotes on her brother Thomas, who is a ‘simple soul’. She dreams of taking him to visit London Zoo one day. The family’s uneventful life is severely disrupted by the arrival of cousin Hilda, whom the parents see as a potential wife for Thomas. Hilda is rich; as ‘a bride in the morning’, she holds the keys to their future. She quickly drives a wedge between Thomas and his sister, and one by one dispels all the other hopes and ambitions that the family cherish.