Bremen, 1893. Young Marga Lürmann has many suitors but has never fallen in love. This changes when she meets Percy, a distant cousin from England, during a glorious summer spent in Lesmona, her uncle's country estate. Although Percy is not yet able to support a wife, he promises to return in five years to marry her. However, Marga, under pressure from her family to find a husband, grows more lonely and confused as time goes by, and eventually accepts a marriage proposal from someone else.

Während die 18-jährige Marga den Sommer des Jahres 1893 auf Lesmona verbringt, dem Landgut ihres Onkels Herbert, verliebt sie sich in den jungen Engländer Percy. Als ihr Onkel ihn auffordert, nach England zurückzukehren, bittet Percy Marga darum, fünf Jahre auf seine Rückkehr zu warten.