On the journey Annemarie misses a train in Würzburg and loses Ilse and Marlene, but meets a young doctor, Rudolf Hartenstein, who likes her immediately.

After arriving in Tübingen, Annemarie lives with Ilse and Marlene at the home of the couple Nepomuk and Veronika Kirchmäuser and their children Vronli and Kasper.

The girls make friends with students Krabbe, Neumann, and Egerling, with whom they establish a "Swabian hiking covenant."

When they meet during a storm in the Charlottenburg Palace Park, Rudolf renews his declaration of love, and this time Annemarie gives in.

An effective translation of a series that gives eye-opening glimpses into the lives of the comfortable middle-class in Germany between the world wars."