The problem of companionship marriages , i.e. marriages determined by purely practical rather than emotional motives, is addressed with all its pros and cons using two relationships . The four protagonists are the student Erich Helmholz and his wife Elli, a seamstress, both a happily married but not in love couple, and the consultant's daughter Maria, who comes from the best "stable" and who, in her ignorance, first allows herself... see more