Dieter is a young married man, a resident of the former East Berlin, who has a menial job working in a factory. His young son has contracted a rare disease so when Dieter loses his job, he is thrown into a situation where he must survive by his wits. When he meets Otto, a benevolent, middle-aged, well-to-do architect, who takes an interest in the young boy and offers Dieter employment on his construction site, he appears to have his life under control again. Unbeknownst to him, however, his problems have just begun.