1939 National Exhibition: Not far from the festival grounds in Zurich, a baby is found in a cardboard box on a late summer evening. The foundling is taken into municipal care and is adopted years later by a childless couple from Central Switzerland. The boy spends his childhood on a farm called "Loch" in Bürglen by Lake Lungern. At the center of this childhood world is Ätti, the talkative grandfather, who loves Bätziwasser and celebrates life as it comes. The father is also full of life; he works in timber construction and is often away. The mother is pious and welcomes the village chaplain for uplifting conversations over ham and smoked sausage. The fact that the little boy resembles his adoptive father leads to mockery, but it is not discussed. The solution to the mystery lies in the mother’s estate. Life in the small community is unrefined and often harsh.