After mediocre painter Paul Kellermann has disappeared, interest in his paintings rises, until his soft-spoken widow Kitty Kellermann is accused of having murdered her husband by drowning him in a lake, with the body never found. The court case draws public attention, and with the defendant entangling herself in contradictions, her lawyer steps down. For the night before the court session that likely will sentence Kitty Kellermann, a mysterious person had warned chief judge Grandt that somebody wants to kill him. Grandt sent a telegram to his best friend, a lawyer, to come from abroad for support. A surprise visitor shows up at night and seemingly provides ample evidence to both that the killer is Grandt's best friend and lawyer, knowing about the terms of Paul Kellermann's will, and with the intention to take advantage of that, had bought the ticket well before he received the telegram, and had poisoned his wine. The judge is as shocked as the lawyer, they call the police. The mysterious person is handcuffed yet quickly free again. After making his point that things are not always as they may seem, as simple
sleight of hand "
hocus-pocus" tricks like some sugar in the wine and a forged date on a ticket apparently had convinced the judge within minutes that his long-term friend has evil intentions, the mysterious visitor declares that he is Peter Bille, a former circus artist, escape artist, illusionist, speed painter, trick shooter, thus a
hocus pocus, and also a jurist that wants to defend poor and innocent Mrs. Kellermann. He even hands the judge the weapon that killed the painter: a razor. With the new lawyer, the court case draws even more public attention, as more witnesses and
exhibits like a boat and a painting are brought in - a painting owned by the judge and taken from his house. ==Cast==