Nora Bernd is a popular "lifestyle consultant" on television: in her programme she gets people to talk about their problems, helps them find a way to resolve their crises and provides practical advice and suggestions. Nobody knows that although Nora can come up with answers to other people easily enough, her own life is a mess. Many years ago she walked out on her husband Heiner and her daughter Jenny.

An emotional journey back to the 50s and 60s: Through photos and film footage from her childhood, the 48-year-old filmmaker Marie remembers growing up in bourgeois post-war Germany. Marie is once again confronted with the early death of her mother and the excessive demands of her conservative father. He has no understanding for her and deports her to a Catholic girls' boarding school. A youth characterized by constant rebellion against the mustiness of the post-war years and against a society that expects one thing above all from girls: to smile nicely into the camera and under no circumstances direct the film themselves!