Laura, a wealthy girl from La Spezia, Italy, grows up with her father, stepmother, and nanny. Her childhood friend Paolo, from a poor family, becomes a nurse at the local hospital, but their friendship fades as she transfers schools. Laura's father, a successful shipowner, tries to involve her in his work, but she finds passion in medicine, studying at the University of Bologna. At university, she meets friends Rebecca and Carlo, but her attraction to the mysterious and already-taken Marcello, captain of one of her father's ships, leads to a tumultuous relationship. Despite her efforts to end things, their chemistry pulls them back together.