Corina Bomann revives an old Christmas tradition. In the spa town of Heiligendamm by the Baltic Sea, the hotelier family Baabe is preparing for the festive announcement of their daughter Johanna's engagement in 1902, even though she loves someone else. Then, after a shipwreck, a young woman washes up on the beach. She cannot remember her name or her origins, desperately clutching a small branch. She finds a friend in Johanna. The nameless woman introduces Johanna to the tradition of the Barbarazweig: on December 4th, the two women place freshly cut branches in a vase, each with the most pressing question for them - the budding branch will reveal their future.