When the young photographer Simon sets out to photograph a motif that has has been on his mind for a long time, he is hit by the tour-bus of an overtired punk band. Concise scenes from his life appear before his inner eye: memories of things past, habitual actions and schemes of the present, narratives and fictions.

Public prosecutor Judith Schrader wants to return to the 'Organized Crime' department. She has been given a chance to do so, as Sirin Dogan is to become the new police commissioner. The politician of Kurdish descent takes action against right-wing extremism, especially within the police force. This makes her the target of hatred. Shortly before her inauguration, a stranger threatens her with death in her apartment. Judith accepts the assignment to investigate this stranger and once again works with Detective Chief Inspector Jochen Montag.

The chestnut tree is old and sick and may have to be felled. But for now, it still stands, towering over the garden. Slowly, like buds unfolding, the stories of the people who gaze upon the tree emerge.

Nina rubs people the wrong way and no longer fits into the world she moves in. The houses in Berlin are being built for others. Her friends only invite her over out of guilt. In the everyday encounters filmed with a camcorder, alienation and comedy, self-doubt and longing lie close together. And somewhere in between, there is also the hope that things could be different.

Fragments of memories are brought to the surface by the Danube Waltz, revealing the less-known history of the Danube-Black Sea Canal. While borders between filmmaker and actress become blurry, languages and layers of past intertwine.