Inga Lindström: Begegnung am Meer (2004)

Linda Thorwaldsson has just completed her training and landed a great job at the Maritime Museum in Gothenburg. She lives with her boyfriend, Nils Wiberg, and they are planning their wedding. By chance, she runs into her sister Gunilla and tells her the news, as well as that she plans to go to Ängelholm to tell their father. She also hopes to make peace with him, since she ran away from home years ago. On the way there, she meets Henrik, Gunilla’s husband. But her meeting with her father does not go as she had hoped. He is still unwilling to speak to her because he wanted her to take over the shipyard back then, and she let him down. He is also in poor health, and his family doctor and close friend, Greta Kronberg, strongly advises him to slow down. Linda takes refuge in the beach house, where she used to go whenever she needed to think. There she runs into Henrik again, the reason she had left Ängelholm. She had been madly in love with him and could not bear that he had married her sister. At dinner with the family, Lennart announces that he intends to hand over management of the business to Gunilla immediately. But she has other plans: she wants to separate from Henrik and move to London with her new boyfriend. Linda knows nothing about any of this, as she has meanwhile returned to Gothenburg. Since Gunilla is unwilling to take over, Lennart has no choice but to sell the shipyard. Henrik’s suggestion that Linda take charge does not help either. Henrik then travels to Gothenburg and asks Linda to return to prevent the sale. She meets with Gunilla and tries to persuade her to stay, but Gunilla only heaps blame on her, saying that everything is her fault. Wanting to clear her head, Linda goes horseback riding and happens to run into Henrik by the beach house. They grow closer, but Linda refuses to give in to her feelings for him and runs away. She goes to Greta because she needs advice. Greta makes it clear that Linda has always loved Henrik and that fleeing into another relationship will not solve anything. She also advises her to speak with her father again. Olaf, an employee at the shipyard, also hopes Linda can bring her father to his senses. The conversation with her father does not go as Linda had imagined: he remains stubborn and wants nothing to do with her. As she is leaving, she runs into Henrik. They go to the beach house and spend the night together. Lennart calls Greta because he is feeling unwell. They talk about the past, and it is clear that Lennart and Greta have feelings for each other. The next morning, Linda receives a call from Greta: her father had a stroke during the night and is in hospital. Gunilla happens to return from London at the same time and learns from Henrik what has happened to their father. She feels guilty, believing that her actions triggered the stroke. She also tries to get close to Henrik again, but he refuses and goes to the beach house to sleep. Linda has had the same idea. Early the next morning, Linda goes to see her father in hospital, while Gunilla looks for Henrik and finds him at the beach house. She says it was a mistake to leave him and their father, then tells Henrik that she is pregnant. He is supposed to be the father. Linda wants to help at the shipyard, but Gunilla ushers her out, since she is back now. The two sisters then argue, during which Linda tells Gunilla that she has fallen in love with Henrik. After that, Linda returns to Gothenburg. Gunilla visits her father in hospital and brings him the good news. Henrik happens to meet Greta, who explains that there is no reason for him to return to Gunilla if that would make everyone unhappy. He should follow his heart. Linda finally tells Nils the truth: she cannot marry him, because she would only be doing so because she cannot have Henrik. Henrik wants Linda to come back to him, but she refuses because she does not want to hurt her sister. She visits her father and explains why she ran away four years ago. He tells her that he was once in a similar situation and also chose against the great love of his life, Greta, because otherwise he would have destroyed his family. Henrik asks Linda once more to come back to him, but she cannot make up her mind. During a test run on a new boat, Olaf again urges Linda to return to the company, because Gunilla is the wrong person for the job: he can tell that her heart is not in it. Henrik talks with Gunilla again and discovers that her new boyfriend is the child’s father, but he had always told Gunilla that he did not want children. That is why she wanted to return to Henrik. He asks her to give him a chance too, since he may well change his mind. Linda is now determined to fight for Henrik and tells her sister. Since she does not know that Gunilla and Henrik have already settled everything, she is quite surprised when her sister agrees and says Henrik is waiting for her, and she knows where. Lennart also finally confesses his love to Greta. When Linda meets Henrik at the beach house, they promise to stay together forever.