Baron von Emmelman is awarded the Belled Goose as a token of valor, and he is told the legend behind the award. Afterwards, the baron gains great fame and many medals and the hatred of those who are jealous of him. Those men jam the guns of the baron, making him an easy target for the enemy. The two traitors are tracked down; one dies, the other, Bocke, was shot but remained alive because he asked the Belled Goose for eternal life. In the end, both the Heap and Bocke chase after the goose: one asking for eternal life to be taken from him, the other asking to live once more.