Cesar (Raimu) and his son, Marius (Pierre Fresnay), run a bar together off a Marseilles port frequented by booze-seeking sailors, grizzled and weather-beaten captains, and the other seaside dwellers who live and work in Marseilles. Marius yearns to join a crew one day and try out his sea legs in search of exotic locations, but his dreams are held at bay by his love for local girl Fanny (Orane Demazis), whose offer of marriage from a wealthy older suitor brings him to expose his feelings for her.