In 1955, the worst wounds of the war seem to have healed in Andernach on the Rhine. Bookseller Eva Liebe finally wants to marry her Georg – but when they go to order the marriage licence, Eva learns something about her fiancé that pulls the rug from under her feet.
Deeply hurt, Eva pushes him away; she cannot believe his explanation. Eva finds solace and distraction in the bookshop, which she runs alone as a holiday replacement for her aunt. A test for her, as she is supposed to take over the bookshop from her aunt one day. However, in the middle of a reading with a young author, a haggard man bursts in, calls Eva a fraud and throws her out. It is Eva’s uncle, who she thought was dead, and the late returnee is no longer the man he once was …