Post-war Germany: Like so many other women, Gerda Krause has lost her husband during the war and has to fend for herself and her two children. She finds work as a seamstress but refuses the offering of her department chief Zimmermann to upgrade her qualifications. One day she meets Uschi, an old friend of hers, whom she has helped with schoolwork before the war and subsequently lost track of. The reunion reminds Gerda of her childhood dream: to become a teacher. Thus, she decides to enroll at university to make her dream come true.
Gerda Krause
Bernd
Werner Schneider
Zimmermann
Klaus
Mother Becker
Hanna - Gerda's colleague
Trümmerfrau
Jutta, Gerda's girlfriend
Jürgen
Miss Grethmann
Grete, Gerda's colleague
Ernst
Uschi
Father Becker
Gestapo official
Gestapo official
lecturer
Announcer at the fashion show
Artisan
old sister
Mrs. Igoleit
Karin
Lecturer
sister in the maternity home
Renate (small)
dentist
Berni (larger)
Ursel as a child
card reader
Renate (larger)
non-commissioned officer
soldier
Berni (small)