For the show's 35th anniversary, the ship is taking its guests – and viewers – to a country with breathtaking scenery and a fascinating animal world: Tanzania.
Amongst those on board are the unlikely friends Felix Staudinger and Justus Ebrecht, both members of a photography club. Despite having been friends for decades, once a year, they put friendship aside to compete in a photography competition.
Robin Schmelting is traveling to Tanzania with her husband, Kai, to attend the reading of her father's will. Robin and her brother Steffen haven't had contact with their father Herbert for years, and still haven't forgiven him for sending them away to boarding school in Germany so soon after their mother's death. As a result, their grief is limited.
Robin hopes the trip will rescue her marriage. Kai has been cheating on her for years, and is having an affair with Larissa, a much younger hairdresser. Even Kai is taken by surprise when he finds out she spontaneously took a job on board.
Another surprise is waiting for Robin. Her brother Steffen, who she hasn't seen since her wedding, is also on board. The siblings were once close, but lost touch after Robin left Steffen's childhood friend Jörg for a husband who is, according to Steffen, entirely the wrong man for his sister.
As expected, the reunion does not run smoothly. Steffen Frohme has a problem which has put him under a great deal of pressure: His sausage factory is close to bankruptcy, and as a result, he needs to find a large sum of money quickly. He has his eye on a weighty rhino horn he plans to sell on the black market. But when the siblings arrive in Tanzania, they're confronted by a situation they must face together.
The young naval officer Florian Barner is harboring a big dream. Despite the plans Captain Burger has for him, his heart belongs to the band he founded with two other crew members. He has his hopes set on touring with them for the first time, though he hasn't yet found the courage to tell his captain and mentor about his plan to leave the ship. Florian and the "guys" practice their songs outside working hours so loudly and with so much enthusiasm that the cruise director, Mr. Schifferle, slates them to sing for the upcoming gala, and Florian realizes that the truth will out.
