Bürgschaft für ein Jahr (1981)

Since her divorce three years ago, Nina Kern has been unable to cope with her life. She no longer holds down regular work, spends her nights partying and drinking, and neglects her children, Jaqueline, René, and Mireille. The young single mother wants to be a good mother to her three children, do her job conscientiously on a subway cleaning crew, and lead an orderly life, but she cannot manage it. Two of the children already have behavioral problems. Youth services take away her custody, and the children are placed in a children’s home under a temporary court order. Nina wants to try to put her situation and her life back in order with the help of friends, neighbors, and colleagues. She begins fighting to get her children back. The authorities assign two guarantors to support her in this effort: civil engineer Peter Müller and music teacher Irmgard Behrend. They are supposed to make sure Nina proves herself. They manage to arrange for Nina’s youngest child, Mireille, to live with her mother again on a trial basis. After a subsequent unhappy and failed love affair, which briefly drives her back to alcohol, Nina comes to understand, with Irmgard Behrend’s help, that she must finally take responsibility for her life and her children. Nina reaches a compromise with her guarantors, gives her eldest daughter, Jaqueline, up for adoption, and tries from then on to be a responsible mother to René and Mireille.