At fourteen, the Tyrolean boy Herman is adopted by the Flemish Vermeiren family after the death of his parents. He rises to become the leader of the youth movement, much to the irritation of Leo Deckers. Herman’s brother Bert is swayed by Leo, and together they commit a cigarette theft at the harbor. Later, Herman returns to Tyrol as a Catholic youth leader on a camp, where amid the edelweiss and the radiant mountain light, his priestly vocation is confirmed. There, he also seeks to guide Bert back on the right path.