The meticulous court councilor Geiger suddenly realizes: 18-year-old Mariandl, who is applying to study music with him, is his own daughter. Remorsefully, he decides to fulfill his fatherly duties and travels to Dürnstein, where he met Mariandl's mother, Marianne, 19 years ago. She runs an inn that is on the verge of bankruptcy due to a lack of guests. Marianne is forced to marry a wealthy hotelier. But when Geiger suddenly appears before her, old feelings rekindle, and more than just friendship develops between Geiger's secretary, Peter, and Mariandl.