The main character Otto, the "best man", is a copy of the illustrious Mister Bean. He takes on an apprenticeship as a building-worker, which makes him a member of a building brigade. At the same time Otto tries to start a love affair, which he handles even clumsier. Never the less Otto makes progress with the lady in question, a single mother, who apparently doesn't mind. Actually he wanted her sister, but a retired Leninist party member changes his mind. This gives him the courage to persevere in his work, albeit with the helping hand of the obligatory retired party member. And behold, in the end Otto invents a new method of building, which saves the brigade many hours of work.
On April 1st, single mother Maria and her ten-year-old son Micha move into a new apartment located in the Berlin district Marzahn. On the very first evening, Maria gets an invitation from her neighbor Alvaro, a political emigrant from Uruguay who keeps working for his country’s Communist Party while staying in the GDR. Maria and Alvaro fall passionately in love. Even Micha, who is suspicious of Alvaro in the beginning, eventually becomes friend with him. Thus, nothing stands in the way of their happiness – except for the certainty that Alvaro will have to leave as soon as he gets a new assignment.
