Captain Paulsen and his crew set sail for the enchanting Indonesian island of Bali. On board is the new second officer Sven Blankenhagen. Captain Paulsen reacts somewhat perplexedly: many years ago he had a relationship with a certain Julia Blankenhagen, who came from the same town as his new crew member. The captain begins to discreetly research the situation and lands himself in a major inner conflict.
One of the guests on board the ship is Justus Bienatzky, a dominant elderly gentleman who unnecessarily makes life hard for chief hostess Beatrice with his special requests. As it turns out, Justus has once infuriated his daughter Nicola with his stubbornness. After breaking off all contact with him following a falling out many years ago, she moved to Bali. Justus has received a letter from Nicola’s son Jasper, the existence of whom he hadn’t had the slightest idea until now. He is traveling to Bali to bring his grandson back to Germany and prepare him to be his successor. Justus is enthusiastic about Jasper and does everything he can to take him back – but Nicola thinks very little of her father’s plans.
Fitness trainer Inka is looking forward to her mother Susanne, who, on the occasion of her 60th birthday, has booked a trip on the “Dream Ship.” To Inka’s horror, her father Bernd also appears on the ship; he doesn’t want to leave his divorced wife alone on her special day and still harbors the wish that Susanne will come back to him. But Dr. Peter Schmitz, Inka’s former Latin teacher and Susanne’s new life companion, who is also on board, foil Bernd’s plans. Susanne is still feeling very resentful of Bernd for having neglected her in their marriage. But Bernd also uses slightly dishonest means in order to impress Susanne. Turbulent imbroglios take their course, bring the storm-tested Inka to the end of her wits.
This journey is also particularly turbulent for cruise director Oskar Schifferle. While preparing a tea ceremony, Oskar has an accident and a heavy plank hits him on the head. The blow makes him lose his memory for brief periods which, as Dr. Sander repeatedly points out to the patient, is no reason to be worried. A couple of days of rest and Oskar will be back to his old self. Oskar doesn’t see it like this, however, and is convinced that his brain cells “are packing their suitcases and disappearing forever.” Oskar’s psychological condition is also visible to Captain Paulsen. Together with Dr. Sander, he concocts a crafty plan to free Oskar from his unfounded fears.
