Zugvogel am Sund (1979)

Ship mechanic Ekke is a bachelor who has already had many jobs in different parts of the GDR, which is why he never really put down roots. That is why his longtime nickname is “Zugvogel” (“migratory bird”). His colleague and best friend Karsten persuades Ekke to go with him to Stralsund. There, Ekke and Karsten now work together at a shipyard. At first, the two newcomers have to prove themselves in production. They quickly make contact and become friends with Paddy, a shipyard worker from Thuringia who is always telling jokes and repeatedly playing pranks on his colleagues, often to their annoyance. Ekke and Karsten initially spend the nights aboard a houseboat. One day, Ekke falls in love with his colleague Solveig, who works as an electrician at the shipyard. Not long afterward, Karsten falls in love too—this time with his colleague Rita. In the meantime, however, their colleague Paddy has also already set his sights on Rita. Over time, Ekke and Solveig’s relationship and Karsten and Rita’s relationship also lead to some interpersonal problems at the shipyard. Things reach the point where Ekke even wants to quit the shipyard so he can be transferred to a new job. But the shipyard workers do not want to let Ekke go so easily and try to ensure that he finally becomes a proper shipbuilder. Ekke and Solveig eventually reconcile. Karsten, in turn, joins the navy a little later.