In a tiny Dutch settlement beside a large lake, Marieke's father has the mill. As he grows old and she grows into womanhood, he calls three neighboring brothers to the house and tells them that whoever brings him a golden apple from a tree that grows on an island far out in the lake shall have Marieke's hand in marriage (and shall also inherit the mill). Cornelius and Dirk, the two older brothers who steal their younger brother Jan's work and then take credit for it, may resort to trickery to reach the island first. Jan has a good heart, and the wind has a mind of its own.