This film is the story of a 13-year-old girl from Hamburg who, after the death of her mother, wants to travel to her aunt Lena and her family - her only living relatives - in Jena. Crossing the inner-German border in 1988, even from West to East, is very difficult. When Lilly finally manages to make the detour via Berlin, she realizes that not everyone in her aunt's family is happy about it. There is a secret in the family that has to do with her mother.

Amelia cannot bear to see her beloved grandmother suffering in a care home. She wants to give her one last Christmas in her old surroundings, but the old lady’s house has long since been let to someone else. She takes advantage of the residents’ absence to organise the Christmas celebrations, but is caught off guard by their return.