Martin has failed as a veterinary surgeon and works in research. But then he loses this job too. He is neither stupid nor lazy, just incredibly scatterbrained. His girlfriend Tessa has had enough and throws him out. Martin is left in a shambles. Just at this moment, he receives a call from his mother Beate: his father Henning, a veteran country vet, has broken his arm and needs Martin's help.

Heddi is a self-confident and battle-hardened coastal fisherwoman. She only has one weak point: her daughter Eva. Eva is an environmental activist and just as militant as her mother. But despite their resemblance, Eva doesn't want to know anything more about Heddi; there has been radio silence between the two for years. But now Eva and her ten-year-old son Jannis turn up unexpectedly in the small Baltic Sea village, ostensibly for a birthday visit to Grandma Lore, where Eva spent most of her childhood. In reality, however, Eva is in big trouble: She has to serve a prison sentence for resisting law enforcement - and a repeat offender at that! - she has to serve a prison sentence. But who will look after her little Jannis while she is away?

Five young German women organise a holiday at Lake Garda, with the apparent wish to celebrate their adolescence and bring back to life those little rituals that have consolidated their friendship. Despite the genuineness of their intention, the experience gradually turns out to be catastrophic.

On the North Sea coast, jack of all trades Knud tries his hand at crab fishing, betting on sports and small-time cons. He’s just trying to score an award for his Shanty Choir, which has seen better days, when his son Lenny shows up for the first time in a decade.

In her desperate longing for sympathy and understanding, a single mother tries to get back in touch with her grown-up son, who locked himself up in his room since two years. She doesn't sense that she runs the risk of loosing him forever.