After initially turning down an assignment to investigate whether a child is taken care of by her father, as children are not really her thing, Sophie reconsiders it when she needs an escape after her boyfriend suggests starting a family.

Max Krenke, once a promising journalist, has made himself comfortable at a third-rate newspaper; as a husband and family man, he keeps the hamster wheel of everyday life running. Until he is laid off without notice on his 45th birthday of all days.