Germany, the late 1960s: Fifteen-year-old Simon lives with his parents and younger brother in a working-class neighborhood in the Ruhr area. Everyday worries and the constraints of their environment leave little room for happiness, which everyone here fights for in their own way. His mother sews herself a new dress every week and forgets the dreariness of her marriage while dancing on Saturdays. Simon's friend Pavel, a melancholic rebel, roams the area on his Zündapp, always in search of girls and adventures. Simon himself is preoccupied with growing up and tries to keep his half-wild brother in check. When two Italian guest workers arrive one day, a glimmer of hope breaks through the darkness – an experience that puts their strained relationships to a tough test.