Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans tells the story of humanity. As the film begins, these words appear on the screen: "This song of the Man and his Wife is of no place and every place...(everywhere) life is much the same: sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet." Human emotion and experience are somewhat universal and the film seeks to share this experience with the audience through the use of easily understandable characters and circumstances.

The Man is having an affair with the Woman of the City. This Woman is mysterious and tempting and the two of them create a plan for the Man to murder his Wife so that they can be together. The Wife is terribly upset about her husband's frequent disappearances, so she is elated when he suggests that they spend some time alone. Although he intends to kill her, the Man cannot bring himself to do...