This film, based on a story by Theodor Storm, revolves around the young Hauke Haien, who lives near the sea and improves the safety of the inhabitants with his new ideas for building dykes. However, his new methods and his rejection of conservative traditions, such as the "sacrifice" of a living creature when building a dyke, are not welcomed by the local population, which leads to him meeting with great rejection and ultimately even becoming his undoing.