An aviator major who is staying in a tranquil spa town for recreation notices that the daughter of the station sister and the grandson of the caretaker cannot tolerate. Through his patient empathy, he succeeds in making Ninotchka and Waljerka friends. When the officer gets seriously ill, only a spring messenger can give him new strength.

Both children want to grow a tulip from a bulb together. Her unshakable faith in it and the childlike naive confidence convey the major new courage to life.