Two brothers, twelve-year-old Philipp and nine-year-old Tobias, are growing up in the East German provinces in the early 2000s. Their family is building a house. When Uwe, a gaunt man helping out on the building site, dies, his fate seems to be emblematic of the problems in the region: too much alcohol, no work and a GDR past that is impossible to shake off. When the brothers and their parents move into the unfinished house, the family starts to disintegrate. Their father loses his job while their mother struggles to hold things together. Stuck in the middle, Tobi and Philipp are left to their own devices. In contrast to their suffocating family life, the countryside seems limitless and nature becomes their haven. In a life which otherwise boasts few bright spots or role models, the only other option is a group of older boys who promise adventure but bring violence and xenophobia. Philipp joins them and, for the first time, he feels a sense of purpose and belonging, even if he has to cross legal and moral boundaries. All of these conflicts of conscience and intent escalate when it is announced that a refugee shelter is scheduled to open nearby.