A young man must choose between his childhood sweetheart and his love of the sea.
In the Marseilles harbor, Marius, the son of café owner Cesar, dreams of working on the exploring ship Malaysia in order to travel. He becomes jealous, however, when sailmaker Honore Panisse, who is in his fifties, courts Fanny, the twenty-year-old daughter of the fish seller Honorine. Marius advises Fanny not to marry Panisse, but withholds his own feelings because he plans a life at sea. When Fanny rejects Panisse and then tearfully reveals her love for Marius to her mother, Honorine consults with Cesar on how to bring the two together. On the night that Marius is to replace a sailor on a ship, he confesses to Fanny his love for her, and she is delighted when Marius is not required aboard ship because the sailor whom he was to replace shows up. After this, Marius puts aside his dreams of the sea, and he and Fanny are inseparable. One evening, however, seaman Piquoiseau introduces Marius to the mate aboard the Malaysia , who tells him that one of his sailors fell ill and he needs a replacement. Thinking only of Fanny, Marius refuses the offer, but Fanny secretly meets the mate and tells him that Marius will be ready the next morning. That night, Fanny and Marius have a secret rendezvous while her mother is away. Honorine comes home early in the morning, however, and she is shocked to see her daughter in bed with Marius. Honorine complains to Cesar, who later tells Marius of his responsibility to Fanny by relating the story of Fanny's aunt, whose virtue was compromised, and who was later deserted and had to turn to prostitution. With this in mind, Marius again rejects the offer of the mate of the Malaysia when he comes to the café, but Fanny informs him that she has already arranged to marry Panisse so that Marius will not be forced to lead a miserable land-bound life. Appalled by Fanny's manipulations but grateful for the opportunity it offers, Marius slips out of the café as Cesar, assuming his son will soon be married, discusses living arrangements with Fanny. Fanny faints when the Malaysia clears the harbor, and Cesar calls for his son, but receives no response.
