Eine Robbe zum Verlieben (2006)

Anne Petersen returns to the harbor with her catch. There she meets veterinarian Thomas Krugmann, who has just arrived from Hanover with his children and his girlfriend, Sabine. When their car breaks down and they have to find a garage, they decide to stay in town. Anne helps them look for a place to stay and arranges for them to stay with Stina, who runs a small guesthouse alongside her old farm. The children, Moritz and Nele, are delighted right away because there are so many animals here. They also take an immediate liking to Anne’s seal, William. While Thomas deals with getting his car repaired, Sabine takes his children swimming. But they don’t want her to take the place of their late mother, and they rebel. Instead of enjoying themselves at the beach with Sabine, they would rather help Stina milk the cows. That evening, they proudly tell their father about their adventures. Sabine is less happy about their unexpected holiday destination. She finds it far too lonely and quiet. Anne lives alone with her seal, which she raised from a pup, and confides in Sabine about her financial worries. If she doesn’t catch more fish soon, she will have to sell her fishing boat and give up her profession. To make matters worse, her boat’s engine breaks down, and she has to return to the harbor. The repair costs put an additional strain on her budget. Piet Jensen often helps his aunt Stina on the farm and has had his eye on Anne. But when he gets closer to holidaymaker Sabine, they both realize they are interested in each other. Thomas, meanwhile, feels drawn to Anne, and she allows him to get close. While the two are out together, Moritz and Nele discover Anne’s house and love it because it reminds them so much of Pippi Longstocking’s house. When Anne catches them inspecting her home, she doesn’t scold them. On the contrary, she talks with them and learns that their father is a widower and that they don’t like his girlfriend, Sabine. Sabine, however, is doing everything she can to win the children’s acceptance and respect, but without success; she even argues with Thomas. He is also angry with Anne, because she took his children on a sailing trip without asking him first. When he confronts her, his children admit that they had told Anne they had asked him first. Thomas then apologizes to Anne, and they both sense that something seems to be developing between them, though neither wants to admit it. When Piet invites Sabine and Thomas to the fishermen’s ball, and Anne also turns up, the situation becomes clear to everyone. Thomas has eyes only for Anne, and Sabine is happy to have found an adventurous boyfriend in Piet. Only Anne is still reluctant to enter into a relationship, afraid of being disappointed. It is only when Thomas plunges into the sea to swim after her that her heart softens, and the two kiss. The children are thrilled, and to them it is obvious that they will now stay here forever; they are looking forward to moving into Anne’s house too. An unexpected career opportunity opens up for Thomas: the elderly veterinarian, Dr. Knut Hansen, wants to retire and offers Thomas his practice. Sabine decides to stay with Piet and support him in his business ventures. He wants to turn the small guesthouse into a family hotel. With her help, Piet even manages to secure funding for his project. In the end, seal William helps Anne locate a large school of fish, so she comes home with a plentiful catch. This temporarily solves her financial problems and makes the happy ending complete.