Joy is an emotionally damaged young woman of eighteen, who was given up at birth, to grow up in homes and with foster families. She lives on the fringes of society, getting by on benefits and earning a little extra by playing the accordion in the subway. In addition, she is a skilled shoplifter and has never been caught.

Edward Schneider is asked to sing the St Matthew Passion in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. This is a great opportunity for him to avenge the eternal mockery to which he is subjected. However what no one sees is that the is having trouble with himself. He is not able to come to terms with the music of Bach and sing it credibly. Then there is Schneider's prostitute, Miriam. While she despises her client, she is also financially dependent on him. Miriam is also at a turning point in her life through her battles with her daughter, who does not have much respect for her mother's profession.

Registration of the musical of the same name, based on the 'Hoe overleef ik'-bookseries by the Dutch writer Francine Oomen. Against her will, thirteen-year-old Rosa moves from Den Bosch to Groningen. She has to go to a new school, misses her friends, her brand-new stepfather turns out to be a strict busybody, and she herself falls in love for the first time. How is she going to survive all that?