p 　　Haunted by the memory of Walter Holderlin, a soldier he killed during World War I, French musician Paul Renard Phillips Holmes confesses to a priest Frank Sheridan , who grants him absolution Using the address on a letter he found on the dead man 三九 s body, Paul then travels to Germany to find his family br 　　As anti-French sentiment continues to permeate Germany, Dr Holderlin Lionel Barrymore initially refuses to welcome Paul into his home, but changes his mind when his son 三九 s fiancée Elsa identifies him as the man who has been leaving flowers on Walter 三九 s grave Rather than reveal the real connection between them, Paul tells the Holderlin family he was a friend of their son, who attended the same musical conservatory he did br 　　Although the hostile townspeople and local gossips disapprove, the Holderlins befriend Paul, who finds himself falling in love with Elsa Nancy Carroll When she shows Paul her former fiancé 三九 s bedroom, he becomes distraught and tells her the truth She convinces him not to confess to Walter 三九 s parents, who have embraced him as their second son, and Paul agrees to forego easing his conscience and stays with his adopted family Dr Holderlin presents Walter 三九 s violin to Paul, who plays it while Elsa accompanies him on the piano br 　　The film 三九 s original title, The Man I Killed, was changed to The Fifth Commandment to avoid giving quot wrong impressions in the minds of the public about the character of the story quot It ultimately was released as Broken Lullaby p