For 999 years, the mountain spirit Rübezahl has lived deep underground in the Giant Mountains. No one has seen him since. But when he learns that people no longer believe in him and that greed and injustice reign supreme, the lord of the mountains descends into the valley to teach humans a lesson with his magical powers. He harnesses a servant who is working his old horse to death to his carriage and gives him the whip. The mountain spirit turns the gold of his rich and miserly cousin Klaus into stones. Having become hungry on his journey, Rübezahl stops at an inn in the guise of a carter. When the greedy innkeeper, out of sheer greed, nibbles half of the scrambled eggs he has ordered from his plate, Rübezahl demands the eggs he has already paid for back...

The stories' setup: a bunch of passive weaklings being dominated by two strong and ambitious women who fight for the same man.

A group of tourists arrive to see the botanical gardens on a small island off the Italian coast. The only inhabitants of the island are the famous botanist Baron von Weser and his two faithful servants; all of the other residents fled after a series of mysterious deaths. When the car driven by the tourists' guide hits one of the baron's servants, von Weser explains that the death was due to a rare and incurable disease, not the accident. That night, the guide and Cora Robinson, one of the guests, are found murdered with all the blood drained from their bodies.