My greatest and indeed only wish: to chop wood with a bare torso without it looking bad. Happiness could be so simple. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Markus Erdmann is a gag writer and hates his job. He hates his life too. Boring Sundays at his grandparents' house, the rest of the week isn't any more exciting. Then Markus meets Janne on the train. She went to school with him and plays in a completely different league. Surprisingly, she seems to be interested in him. Can she rescue Markus from his misery? Or is it more likely to be Uncle Friedrich, the legendary coffee taster from the Hamburg Free Port, whom they call the "Tongue of Europe"? "To combine fun and depression so authentically and skillfully is a great art. Heinz Strunk masters it brilliantly." (Die Welt).