The Zurich Engagement 1957

After an argument with her boyfriend Jürgen, the writer Juliane ‘Julchen’ Thomas [Liselotte Pulver] seeks distance and comfort at her uncle Julius’s Berlin home. A rude emergency patient nicknamed Büffel [Bernhard Wicki] appears at his dentist’s office. He is accompanied by his friend, the charming Zurich doctor Jean Berner [Paul Hubschmid], with whom Juliane falls instantly in love.

A short time later, when Juliane presents a script telling this very story to a film production company, she meets Büffel, whose real name is Paul Frank and who is set to direct the film adaptation of her book. Büffel seems to take a shine to Julchen. He sees through her announcement that she intends to get engaged in Zurich at Christmas. However, he offers to give her a ride to Zurich in his car, as he is traveling to St. Moritz with his son Pips for New Year’s Eve. Hoping to meet Jean again there, Juliane accepts. To avoid getting off the train in Zurich, she invents a story during the journey that her engagement to a Mr. Uri has to be postponed because the father of the future groom has died unexpectedly. In St. Moritz, Juliane befriends Pips, and Jean joins them. Büffel, secretly amused by her fabricated stories, hires an unemployed actor, posing as the supposed Mr. Uri, to frame Juliane. Jean introduces Juliane to his conservative family, and Juliane soon realizes that she doesn’t fit into this world and is in love with Büffel. Juliane and Jean part amicably, and Jean encourages Juliane to reveal herself to Büffel.

After further complications, Juliane and Büffel meet again in Hamburg to watch the finished film together. There is a happy ending, which pleases Pips, who can now return home from boarding school.