Hans Ernst: Christl

When Christl, daughter of wealthy innkeeper Sebastian Gruber and his self-righteous wife Charlotte, meets medical student Thomas, the younger son of rich farmer Anton Lafret, it is love at first sight. Thomas is engaged to Anita, daughter of a factory owner from Innsbruck, but conceals this from Christl. Thomas wants to break off the engagement with Anita, but his father and his fiancée, working together, force him to give up Christl. Christl's mother Charlotte Gruber and Anton Lafret are mortal enemies following a dispute over a bankrupt sawmill and a fake debt. After the sudden death of her father Sebastian, Christl takes over the family business. Many years later, Thomas, now a doctor and separated from Anita, returns to Erlbach to settle down, only for the old family feud to escalate once again…

Picture: Stephan Reichenberger