"I Know Where I'm Going" stars Wendy Hiller as Joan Webster, a very determined young woman. She comes from a middle class English family in Manchester- her father is a banker- and from an early age, she is determined to better her position in life. We see this in several quick scenes from her formative years, which aptly demonstrate her focus on a achieving higher social status.
Once in the village, Joan calls Kiloren and talks to Sir Robert. She's a little confused, because he sounds strange, not like she remembers. Dismissing this feeling, she tells him she'll see him as soon as the weather clears, and he gives her the telephone number of the Robinsons, friends of his who have rented a nearby castle, telling her to look them up. After she hangs up, Joan attempts to pay for the call with a pound note, but the proprietress can't change it. As she and Torquil walk to the inn, Joan remarks that people here are very poor. Torquil replies that they aren't poor- they just don't have any money. While there, Joan had noticed a picture of a huge whirlpool, and Torquil tells her that it's the Corryvreckan whirlpool, which is just off their western coast, and is the second largest whirlpool in the world. He also begins to tell her the legend surrounding it, but they are interrupted. Feeling slightly unnerved by the situation- and by Torquil, Joan attempts to create some distance between them by insisting on sitting at separate tables in the hotel dining room at dinner. And in her room that evening, she struggles to write a letter to her father about the position she finds herself in. The next day, gale force winds are still blowing, and Joan resigns herself to yet another day of delay. To get away from Torquil, she goes to visit the Robinsons and their precocious daughter Cheril. The Robinsons are nice enough, but rather flakey and flighty... their daughter seems to be the brains of the operation. They are going to have dinner and an evening of bridge with Mrs. Rebecca Crozier, a local landowner, and take Joan along with them. To her dismay, she finds Torquil there, as he is an old family friend of the Croziers.
The next morning, however, the wind is still howling, and though Joan and Torquil return to the shore, it seems unlikely that the boat will make it over from Kiloren. Joan had hoped that a local man, Ruairidh Mhor, who owns a boat, would agree to take her, but he won't go out in such weather, and is using the day to go into town. They also spend some time chatting with Mhor's daughter, Bridie, and her boyfriend, Kenny. Kenny would like to buy a half interest in Ruairidh's boat so that he can settle down and marry Bridie. The problem is, having turned eighteen, he expects to be called up for military service soon, and in any case, he doesn't have the 20 pounds necessary to buy the partnership. The young couple is resigned to a long wait before they can marry.
In the morning, Joan looks out of the window and sees the harbour- calm for the first time since she arrived. The boat from Kiloren is spotted making its way into port. Torquil is no longer going, because his leave is nearly up, and the Colonel has decided not to go as well. This means that only Joan and the three pipers will be making the crossing.