Die Melchiors (1972)

Northern Germany in the 15th century. The Melchiors are a well-off, successful merchant family in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. The head of the family is Knut (Hans Putz), who leads the family as well as the business and calls the shots. Together with Svea (Evelyn Balser) he has eight children. His two sons Eric (Wolfgang Schneider) and Richard (Thomas Stroux) regularly go on - sometimes dangerous - trading trips. From one of these trips, Eric brings the pretty Frenchwoman Lucienne (Françoise Dorner) with him, causing the house to become unhappy. But Agathe (Ulrike Blome), the merchant's daughter, also has a love affair that doesn't suit the rest of the family because it is immoral. Besides exciting journeys, the focus is also on trouble with the competition or confrontations with thieves and even pirates. The struggle for supremacy in the Hanseatic League is another challenge.