Two young skippers, Hans Tønnesen and Poul Nielsen, have a small cargo ship that transports freight from Copenhagen to the provinces. Poul and Hans are in love with the same girl, Margit, who is the daughter of master baker Bonnekamp. However, Margit chooses Poul. On their wedding night, Hans cannot sleep. He sits in his boat and hears a splash in the water. He jumps into the water and rescues a young girl, Kristiane, from drowning. She is distraught because she is pregnant and does not dare tell her parents. Hans offers to marry her and acknowledge paternity, but on the way to his own wedding, his engine stalls.