Helene Westphal

Two barge skippers fall in love with the same woman.

The four sailing school cadets Gerhard, Fritz, Kurt, and Christian are close friends; there's hardly anything they don't do together. But when the charming Gerhard begins a romance with Charlotte, his comrade Christian's childhood sweetheart, a shadow falls over their close bond. Then, when the four young men are involved in an accident during a nighttime trip on the school ship's pinnace, their friendship is put to another severe test. While three of them manage to raise the money for the repairs, Kurt, unable to contribute his share, lies to his comrades, claiming he has already put the money into the communal kitty.

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Sister Angelika bids her boss, Professor Reimers, farewell, for she has quit her post. Reimers doesn’t understand the reason for this and since she won’t say a word as to why she’s quit, he asks her to spend the evening with him and his son Konrad. Konrad, however, wanted to take advantage of the holiday to bring his divorced parents back together and sends Angelika packing as soon as she reaches the house. Disappointed and sad, she drives to the airport to meet Captain van Santen, who also invited her to spend the holiday.