Sien is raised by her grandparents after her mother, a singer/prostitute, is strangled by her father. She becomes enamored by song-and-dance man Jan Meier, and the two form a successful double act called 'Het Duo Durand'. When her seafaring father returns after a long absence, Sien wants nothing to do with him. But after several years of marriage and one child, Jan becomes more interested in one of the dancing girls, and Sien has to reevaluate her life.