On the Liebiwyl farm, the farmer Christen, his wife Änneli, their sons Resli and Christeli, as well as their daughter Annelisi, live together in harmony. The harmony is disturbed when Christians are persuaded by the deceitful village scribe to speculate with ward money. As a result, all the money is lost and the bounced farmer has to pay for the damage out of his own pocket. This arouses Ännelis anger, whose great willingness to help is slowed down by Christians who are becoming more and more stingy. One bad word gives the other, and soon the spouses are faced with a pile of broken glass. The children also suffer from the unfriendly atmosphere on the farm at home. Only a church visit at Pentecost and the corresponding sermon make reconciliation possible. On the night of Pentecost, a nearby farm goes up in flames. Resli helps to extinguish the fire and meets Anne-Mareili, the daughter of the Dorngrüt farmer. He noticed her at the dance in the afternoon and the two fall in love. But the Dorngrüt farmer only has money in mind and wants to barter his daughter off to the rich Kellerjoggi. He only tolerates Resli's advertising in order to push up the price for Anne-Mareili. The young woman no longer wants to endure this; she begs her resigned mother for help. At the same time, however, she cannot understand that Resli does not want to fulfill her father's scandalous demands and thus endangers her common happiness.