The demise of airline Swissair in 2001 was a huge blow to Switzerland's economy and to the country's morale. It was a sad day for Swiss history when the airline's fleet was grounded on 2 October 2001. "Grounding" is set during the last days of the doomed airline, and tells the story of manager Mario A. Corti's unhappy fate, the last, unlucky CEO at the traditional airline company, as well as of all those nameless people who lost almost everything in the maelstrom of Swissair's downfall: their job, home and their belief in Switzerland.

Upon learning that his deceased ex-lover has willed him a substantial sum of money after succumbing to AIDS, a young Swiss man finds his life endlessly complicated by the deceased man's homophobic mother and headstrong recent boyfriend in director Christof Vorster's heart-rending drama. Steff and his ex-lover Martin Hilder had some great times together before parting ways, and when Steff learns that Martin has named him as the sole beneficiary to his substantial fortune, Steff finally begins to consider fulfilling his lifelong dream of starting his own business. It's not going to be as easy as it sounds, though, because in order to get the money, Steff is going to have to go through Martin's controlling, vehemently anti-gay mother. Add to that the fact that Martin's most recent ex-boyfriend, Rex, is determined to fulfill the deceased's wishes of having his ashes scattered in the Atlantic and Steff soon finds himself forced to reexamine his life and reassess his priorities.

In letters to her idol, Brad Pitt, twelve-year-old Tina Vonlanthen pours out her heart about what life in a small Swiss border town on the Rhine is like: trouble with her older sister, twenty-year-old Babs, "who still hasn't found a man," and worries about her single father Urs, who has been so distracted lately. But it is neither spinsterhood nor Alzheimer's that the Vonlanthens suffer from. Rather, it is the small and large love affairs that they try to keep secret from each other: Babs' lover is her married German boss—and Urs' girlfriend is Caroline, a black woman from Cameroon. At the local big event, the "fish dinner," everything comes out in the open—and Tina also has some heart-pounding experiences that she prefers to keep quiet about in her letters to Brad...

After being hit on the head, an anti-German Swiss firefighter starts speaking perfect Berlin German. He suffers from foreign accent syndrome.

When Hans looks back, he must say: That was a good life! He saw the world, loved his wife Martha and yes, two, three things went wrong. But that doesn't need to be talked about. And now? Two years ago Martha died, Hans can barely manage his daily routine anymore, and after a visit to the vet his beloved dog Miller doesn't return home. Hans is tired. Basically he can't be bothered anymore. He wants to die. But one doesn't talk about this. At best maybe with Willi, his friend. He trusts in him, he considers him as his ally, who should help him implement his plan...

Claudia is a talented girl who is about to embark on a career as an opera singer. However, an incident of purse theft will change everything, because it will bring Paul back to a life that the young woman had planned for.

Like every Friday evening, a group of men gather in sports reporter Oskar's huge, cluttered apartment to play poker. But this time it doesn't work out - the group has to practice crisis intervention: Their friend Felix has more or less serious suicidal intentions. His wife not only wants to divorce the bumbling hypochondriac, but has also thrown him out of the house immediately. Oskar, another deserving divorce victim, knows how Felix feels and grants him indefinite asylum.