A novel about growing up and about a love that overcomes all political boundaries. Summer 1988: Twenty-year-old Ronni and Sabine in her mid-twenties get to know each other on board the MS Arkona, a cruise ship of the GDR. She is a law student and travels in the upper class, he is a simple steward. She lives in Frankfurt am Main, he comes from Dresden. Their journey takes them to Scandinavia, along the large port cities of the Baltic Sea, with West German guests without exception, East German occupation - and the Stasi on board. Ronni and Sabine soon feel attracted to each other, even though their worlds are so different. The two can only meet secretly. In the ship's laundry, they talk about their favorite films, their worries, their secret dreams. But then their relationship is discovered, and the Stasi puts Ronni under pressure. He has to decide - for his country or for love.