Waves is a summer story, a love letter to the Baltic Sea, a portrait of the Baltic nobility around the turn of the century, and above all, a love story. The young, beautiful Doralice has left her husband, an elderly count, to start a new life with the painter Hans Grill in a seaside resort on the Baltic Sea. With her unconventional lifestyle and openly lived relationship with the painter, she shakes the rigid moral consciousness of the noble spa guests, while also being an object of admiration and envy. However, the coexistence with the artist, which initially represented the fulfillment of Doralice's longing, increasingly suffers from misunderstandings and mutual sensitivities – both struggle to leave the past behind. Keyserling impressively portrays the ups and downs of their relationship against this backdrop.