Sil de strandjutter (1976)

The story is set on the island of Terschelling in the Netherlands, which is isolated from the rest of the Netherlands at the end of the 19th century. Sil Droeviger, a farmer in Oosterend, supplements his income for his family, consisting of his wife Jaakje and sons Jelle and Wietse, with beachcombing. One day a strong storm arises and Sil rescues a girl from a sunken Swedish dinghy, while the mother drowns. Sil takes the girl home and raises her as his own daughter. He calls her Lobke, just like their daughter who died shortly after birth. When Sil comes to register her as his own daughter at the registry office, this causes the necessary problems. The pastor has an even harder time getting the child baptized, which leads to a rift between Sil and the church. The children grow up to be young adults. The brothers are each other's opposites: Jelle is a free bird who likes to romp with the girls and Wietse is gentle, calm and thoughtful. Wietse starts to think about whether combing is good; whether it is really the case that what you find you can keep. He refuses to fumble any further, much to the displeasure of Sil, and after an argument leaves for sea. Jelle then tries to get closer to Lobke. This also makes Sil angry, he wants Jelle to marry Maam, the daughter of a friendly farmer. However, Jelle becomes obsessed with Lobke, who rejects him time and again. It eventually leads to tragedy when Jelle runs away angry. That night a violent storm rages and a ship runs aground. Jelle tries to save the crew on horseback but drowns. Wietse returns to stay forever. He and Lobke now know for sure that they are meant for each other.