1957 in Berlin. Renate, Angelika and Karin have known each other since they were children. Renate has the idea that the three of them should accept New Zealand's invitation to young German women to emigrate and find a new home abroad. Whereas Karin is mostly interested in adventure and Angelika wants to escape her past as a prostitute, Renate is hoping to finally locate her father who emigrated to New Zealand twenty years ago. She is encouraged in this by the charismatic Maori pilot Marc who, however, after his business trip is over, leaves Berlin without saying good-bye. At first, the three of them are rather disappointed because they don't have anything like the kind of freedom they had been hoping for. Together with other immigrants they have been housed in a former army barracks and have to work in a textile factory. But then, Karin gets a job with a fashion designer. In the course of her search for her father, Renate gets to know the attractive farmer Keith and accepts his offer to live and work on his farm. And Angelika (who is pregnant) unexpectedly finds what she believes to be true love with Adrian, the junior partner of the textile factory. But when a jealous secretary in the factory tells him about her condition, he feels hurt and drops her. Angelika is threatened with deportation. Then, at the last moment, Adrian realises just how much he loves her and asks her to marry him. Renate discovers that Keith is a good friend of Marc and they accidentally meet again. Although she likes Keith very much, Marc is the one she is in love with and this puts the men's friendship to a hard test. Renate leaves Keith's farm and is taken in by the newly wedded Angelika. Angelika's happiness is short-lived. She goes into labour early and, although the baby can be saved, she dies in Adrian's arms. Karin has come to realise that she will never feel at home in New Zealand and returns to Berlin. In the meantime, Renate has found out that her father is dead. She is the only one of the three to find happiness in New Zealand. Together with Marc, she renovates her father's house and begins a new life.