arie ’ s ▁first ▁great ▁grand child . ▁ ▁Plot ▁summary ▁The ▁year ▁is ▁ 1 9 7 3 . ▁The ▁twenty - six ▁year ▁old ▁Mar iet ta ▁lives ▁in ▁Berlin ▁with ▁Grand par ents ▁Rudolf ▁H arten stein ▁and ▁Ann em arie ▁Braun ▁H arten stein . ▁She ▁works , ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁her ▁studies , ▁in ▁a ▁kind erg arten , ▁where ▁she ▁is ▁a ▁favorite ▁" a unt ." ▁T ogether ▁with ▁cousin ▁Ger da ▁she ▁att ends ▁a ▁women ' s ▁school ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁youth ▁coun sel or , ▁a ▁popular ▁profession ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete en - tw ent ies ▁for ▁modern , ▁soci ally ▁engaged ▁women . ▁From ▁her ▁tw in ▁An ita ▁she ▁has ▁grown ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁distant . ▁She ▁is ▁sm itten ▁with ▁Hor st , ▁son ▁of ▁her ▁grand - un cle ▁Klaus , ▁but ▁Hor st ▁is ▁en am ored ▁of ▁An ita , ▁and ▁travel s ▁to ▁Brazil ▁to ▁be ▁with ▁her . ▁An ita ' s ▁family ▁expects ▁her ▁to ▁marry ▁Hor st , ▁but ▁she ▁gets ▁engaged , ▁to ▁everyone ’ s ▁surprise , ▁to ▁Ric ardo ▁Or lando , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁wealth y ▁neighb ors . ▁One ▁day ▁Mar iet ta ▁notes ▁a ▁similarity ▁between ▁the ▁kind erg arten ▁child ▁Len chen ▁and ▁L otte , ▁the ▁found ling , ▁who ▁still ▁lives ▁in ▁the ▁H arten stein ▁house ▁with ▁the ▁Kun zes , ▁the ▁household ▁servants . ▁It ▁turns ▁out ▁that ▁Len