Stu Arnold and Frank Lemmerz have been best friends for as long as they can remember. As their school days come to an end and they must choose between military service or civilian service, they decide to take the path of least resistance. As "youth hostel volunteers," they want to spend the year they owe to the state in the youth hostel. There, they encounter the quirky hostel parents, the Schröders, who have been running the hostel for decades with their own worldview. They clash with the grumbling receptionist, Mr. Schwilgerer, and the ever-watchful kitchen staff member, Mrs. Kuftel. Throughout the day, there are several power struggles between the permanent staff and other civilian service workers. At night, thanks to one volunteer's locksmith training and a copied key for the hostel's wine cellar, things take a different turn.