Rosamunde Pilcher: Entscheidung des Herzens (2009)

Antonia Winston, a young fashion designer in London, calls her mother, Helen, at the family estate in Cornwall. She notices that her mother is troubled. When Antonia asks what is wrong, Helen says it is nothing and tells her not to worry. As soon as Antonia hangs up, her boyfriend Peter, a young lawyer, turns up with a crowd of friends in tow, eager to celebrate winning his first criminal case. Antonia and Peter have been having tensions for some time, and they now come to a head: Antonia throws all the guests out of her apartment and returns the ring to Peter, who has cheated on her. She then gets in her car and drives home. Just as she arrives, her father is being taken away in an ambulance. He has had a heart attack, brought on by the stresses of the past few days. In fact, the family estate is in a precarious position, and bankruptcy seems unavoidable unless the outstanding liabilities can be settled by the end of the month. Tom Dixon, a childhood friend of Antonia's and her father's godson, tries to support her. Tom is a writer who has written a very successful novel. But his mother's death has completely thrown him off course, and since then, as he admits, he has “not written a single decent sentence.” After having a long conversation with her mother, Antonia goes to the bank the following day to get an overview of the situation. She learns that Harold Huston has cancelled all his contracts with her father's textile mill, leaving them stuck with the fabrics. When Antonia gets home, David, a colleague of Peter's, has arrived to drop off some things for her. Antonia acts quite hostile toward him. David explains that he is not a friend of Peter's, but merely happened to work at the same law firm. Antonia's mother, Helen, likes the young man from the outset. Antonia decides to meet Harold Huston, and David accompanies her. Huston has brought his young daughter Cindy, whom David looks after during their conversation. Antonia learns from Huston that the fabrics supplied by the Winstons are simply no longer up to date, since trends in bed linen and curtain fabrics have moved in a completely different direction. Antonia suggests switching to fabrics for clothing, since the existing patterns are exactly the kind that are currently “in.” Huston agrees to give her the chance to create a collection and then decide. Since everything has to be done very quickly, Antonia works on her collection at night as well, and David, who has some very good ideas, supports her however he can. When they finish the collection, they share their first kiss. Antonia's father, a very energetic man, has meanwhile discharged himself from the hospital. He is worried about what will become of his business. Antonia asks him to trust her and her ideas. She tells the bank representative that she has good news, because Huston has placed a large order with the textile mill. No one suspects that Tom, who is in and out of the Winstons' home and enjoys their trust, is playing a double game. Since George does not believe his daughter can save the family estate, he asks Tom for help. Tom suggests that George transfer ownership of the company to him for the time being, saying that he is currently short of cash and can help only in this way. David, in turn, proposes transferring part of the castle to a foundation, in exchange for making some of the castle's rooms available as a country hotel. George is completely opposed to the idea, but his wife Helen persuades him to reconsider; he has always been able to rely on her judgment. In a moment of desperation, Antonia improvises a dress for Cindy, Huston's daughter, who had fallen into a well during an outing. Huston then gives Antonia an order for a children's collection. Just after she finishes it, a fire breaks out in the rented studio. Tom, whose plans are in jeopardy, tries to turn George against David, prompting George to ask him to make inquiries about the young lawyer and his foundation. Tom does indeed convince George Winston that David is acting fraudulently, claiming he has discovered that David had to leave his law firm because he embezzled a client's money. When George tells his daughter, she lets herself be goaded into accusing David of having used her and her family. David simply replies, “If that's what you believe, then there's nothing more to say,” and leaves. From the bank representative, Antonia learns that it was Tom Dixon who made a lucrative offer for her father's castle. When Antonia calls Peter, who explains the real reasons David left, she realizes how badly she wronged him. Fortunately, Peter tells David that someone is plotting against him and is probably primarily trying to hurt Antonia. Meanwhile, Tom has lured George into his mother's bedroom and now confronts him, claiming that he, Tom, is George's son, and that George is to blame for his mother's having been unhappy all her life. George cannot convince the confused young man, who has worked himself into a frenzy, that none of it is true. Tom even hits him and, when George collapses in distress, refuses to give him his pills. When Antonia arrives, Tom also turns violent toward her. Fortunately, David set off as soon as Peter called and is able to intervene. He punches Tom and brings the situation under control. The police are called and take Tom away; it also comes up that he is suspected of being responsible for the fire in Antonia's studio. David, meanwhile, finally gets to give Antonia his ring on a second try, saying, “I've known from the very beginning that we belong together.” Durdle Door, seen several times in the film. Studland, Middle Beach, the location where Tom and Antonia take a walk. Old Harry Rocks, visible in the background during their walk.