Based on the bestselling biography: Entertainer Horst Lichter has barely had time to relax on his holiday when his mother calls him. In her own dry way, she tells him that she has been diagnosed with cancer and that things are not going well for her. Immediately Horst returns to his hometown with his wife Nada. Returning home brings back childhood memories - of a loving father and a mother who held the reins firmly in difficult situations. Horst tries his best to support his mother Margret - he organises doctor's appointments and tries to provide a little variety into her daily life, even though the relationship between mother and son has been strained for a long time: he counters his mother's edgy, frosty manner as he had learned to do when he was young. He emphasises the positive side of any situation and is always ready to respond with a snappy retort. When Margret learns how serious her illness really is, Horst begins to rethink his own life as well.

31-year old Ilja Felder works in crisis intervention. When assessing a bereaved mother after her son committed suicide, Ilja struggles, but refuses to admit his weakness to himself and his supervisor Nadia. Soon he drives out to his first unaccompanied assignment - a road accident during a stormy night. When the accident perpetrator turns out to be suicidal, Ilja completely loses his nerves and almost makes a fatal mistake. As a result, he finally has to acknowledge that he can no longer ignore his past.