Hermann, a clumsy but kind-hearted young man who selflessly cares for his eccentric grandmother, receives a box brimming with strange chestnuts from his globetrotting grandfather one fateful winter morning. Hermann promptly builds a rickety chestnut stand in front of the house, where he soon meets the beautiful Hannah, whose charming nature immediately captivates him. The romantic moment lasts only briefly, as Hermann is sentenced by his grandmother to shovel snow.