Christian Zorn has a choice: spend the final six months of his sentence in juvenile detention, or go to work on a vineyard. The latter isn't as pleasant as it sounds. The work is backbreaking, and Immanuel Dessoir, the owner, has peculiar ideas about quality and integrity. The two eventually clash, and Immanuel banishes Christian to custodial duties.
Violet Dessoir, the winemaker's youngest daughter, idolizes Christian. She sits next to him at meals, follows him around the property, and agonizes over his conflicts with her father. When Christian regroups with his former cohorts and participates in another crime, Violet grieves his arrest and conviction and writes to him regularly during his eight-year-long confinement.
At Violet's urging, Christian returns to the vineyard after his release. She has grown into a lovely woman. Meanwhile Immanuel has suffered a heart attack and can no longer carry his weight. Christian commits to running the vineyard with Violet, but they are defeated by blight, hail, and ruthless competition. Christian must once again choose between the hardships of a passionate life and the relative comfort of irresponsibility. This time a child on the way and a life-threatening test of his courage make his dilemma all the harder to resolve.
