[1] Harvey, a pianist exhausted from touring (played by Sava Hashimov), steps off a train at a small station to buy cigarettes.
By morning, he arrives at the seaside town, where he meets an enchanting woman, Biche Seniel (portrayed by Margarita Terekhova), and falls in love with her at first sight.
He also encounters Captain Gez (played by Rolan Bykov), the owner of the sailing ship The Running on Waves, and joins the crew as a passenger.
After a heated argument with the drunken captain, who insults one of the women, Harvey is forcibly placed in a lifeboat and abandoned in the dark sea.
While drifting and dozing on the waves, Harvey is visited by a mysterious woman resembling Biche, though she introduces herself as Fräzi Grant.