Hamburg, summer 1945: The young English control officer Captain Hannes Hacker arrives in the Hanseatic city to initiate the establishment of a new, liberal German radio station - in the Funkhaus on Rothenbaumchaussee. But Hacker also has private ties to Hamburg. He was born here and lived here until he had to leave his hometown on a Jewish Kindertransport.

Four hours by boat from the lightship Elbe 1 is the southern entrance and lock of the Kiel Canal. There, in Brunsbüttelkoog, is a seamen's home run by Klara Andresen. This is the main setting of the movie. In the sailors' wives' home, the wives of sailors wait for their return. Klara Andresen not only looks after the concerns of the waiting sailors' wives, but also her brother-in-law Gustav Andresen . Gustav has gone to sea as a ship's cook and now wants to get married. That's why he has placed a marriage announcement and is waiting for the reactions.

Gustav Andresen, a former ship's cook, initially struggles as a restaurant owner, but eventually puts down roots near the Brunsbüttel canal lock. The young sailor's widow Yvonne Bröhan has successfully completed radio school in Hamburg and embarks on her first voyage as a radio operator. Chally Tonzel, who has replaced Gustav as the ship's cook, is faced with the difficult choice of which of three equally attractive sisters he should marry. Lore, now the wife of the Dutch owner of the Kümo, Henk van der Meyden, knows how to assert her rights on board against her mother-in-law.

The German coal-mine Graf Bismarck is shut down.

The Second World War is over and now begins in post-war Germany, the reconstruction. Jakob Formann sees his chance here and begins a rapid rise as an entrepreneur.

A beautiful blonde bitten by Count Dracula 100 years previously is unearthed in Vienna, and soon she goes on a killing spree.

Shots are suddenly fired at a rally. A young man is arrested from the crowd. During questioning, he claims to have acted alone in order to make a statement. His court-appointed lawyer, Landau, suspects that his client is not telling him the truth. He begins to investigate the motives behind the crime and discovers that the boy is under the influence of extremist circles and ideas. But Landau cannot prove this influence of hatred and violence...

Georg Maltus wants to make a career as an editor in Munich, but has to make do with a job as publicity manager for pop singer Kim Calder. Kim lives on the outskirts of the city in a wooden house with bum types who are involved in his "Wilder Reiter GmbH". Georg arranges wild gigs for the boss, arranges a rescue operation for a nun who has run away from the convent and a fake kidnapping of Kim, who ends up in hospital. When Kim sells herself to an American producer, Georg escapes the hustle and bustle.