Literary adaptation: a handsome youth of humble origins rises in society through his connections made as an elevator attendant in a luxury hotel.

Under the auspicious name "Magical Mystery" the Berlin techno label BummBumm Records wants to go on a rave tour. Karl Schmidt aka Charly himself was once an aspiring artist on the scene, until he retired after a nervous breakdown five years ago. Since then he lives in a supervised withdrawal WG in Hamburg. Now, as a driver and custodian for the party-loving DJs and their producers, he becomes part of "Magical Mystery", trying to lead a self-determined life after years of patronizing and well-intentioned advice.

It's the year 2020. Every day billions of people are victims of the digital, medial, narcissistic, hedonistic, careeristic and consumerist overstimulation and suggestion by the establishment. In a manner that remains unexplained to this day, hundreds of millions of citizens of the first world abruptly and epidemically fall ill with Anhedonia, an inability to feel pleasure and satisfaction. Two exemplary victims of these unspeakable circumstances are the dissimilar, but nevertheless inseparable, aristocrats' sons Franz and Fritz Freudenthal. Wholly bereft of meaning and tormented by their miserable, dull and joyless existence, they slowly waste away; until they become aware of the new and unique lust-stimulus therapy by the world-renowned and very trendy Prof. Dr. Immanuel Young, seeing in it the solution to all their problems.

In the motley final-year class 13e at Kepler School in Neukölln, children who have moved to the western part of the city legally as well as border crossers who live in East Berlin but commute to the West every day come together for lessons every day. After the school-leavers had completed their written exams in July 1961, they faced their oral exams after the summer vacation in September. But when the Berlin Wall was built in August, Berlin was divided and torn apart from one day to the next - including class 13e. The students from the eastern part of the city quickly have to make a difficult decision: should they attempt to cross the border or throw their dreams of the future to the wind?