Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) lives with his wife Ellen (Greta Schroder) in Germany where works for a real estate company. He goes on a business trip to Romania to visit Count Orlock (Max Schreck) who is purchasing a house. Upon arriving in Romania, strange things start happening. All the locals are terrified of Orlock. Orlock himself does not eat, and when Hutter cuts himself, Orlock tries to suck the blood flowing from the injury. When he wakes up one day in the castle, he discovers bite marks on his neck, leading Hutter to believe that Orlock is in fact a vampire.