Babett Arens

Stories about citizens of a big city who encounter a variety of fates as a result of their difficulties in communicating with each other.

A young teacher in Zurich in the 1950s falls in love with a transvestite star but is torn between his bourgeois existence and his commitment to homosexuality. He joins a gay organization that is eventually seen as the pioneer of gay emancipation in Europe.

In the form of an anthology film, travelers and hosts encounter one another in four different places in Europe via an internet-based hosting network called “Couchsurfing”. In Stuttgart, the Swabian publisher Annette meets the Polish master in the art of living Pawel, while her niece Nina is expecting a big fiesta in Spain, but meets only a deaf old man. In parallel Matti, a freshly minted high school graduate, hopes to find a great adventure in Paris, while the two Erasmus students Reka and Alma wander through Frankfurt desperately seeking their hosts. In the quest of adventure, diversion or just an authentic travel experience, encountering people whom one never would have met otherwise and so they are confronted not only with counterparts, but also with themselves.

Nuclear security expert Katja Wernecke (Ulrike Folkerts) helps cover up a fire in the German nuclear reactor she works in, before the government takes a decision on extending the usage license for it. But the press uncovers it. PR man Steffen Stratmann (Matthias Koerbelin) is brought in to improve the companies image - but before he can implement his plan a nuclear meltdown occurs. 2m people have to be evacuated. Wernecke re-enters the hot zone to investigate the cause...

The Swiss President, called by all only "big hangover", is in trouble: the election is coming and according to surveys his chances are not very good. From a meeting with the Spanish royal couple, he hopes media attention and a popularity boost. He does not suspect that his closest confidant Pfiff, of all people, is intriguing against him in order to come to power himself. But he does not even shy away from misusing his family for his own purposes. Soon, the president has to fight not only for his political position, but also for his marriage.

The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph falls in love with the young Elisabeth. It's love at first sight but Franz Joseph's mother Sophie doesn't approve this love.

Fredi Rüegg's job is to bring runaway cats (some of which he stole himself in the first place) back to their owners. He lives in a garage and he has come to terms with the lack of excitement in his life. His colleague Alain has other worries: he is both broke and divorced. He cons his daughter into thinking that he is a successful businessman. One day Alain tries to curry favor with his daughter by offering to drive her band to their rehearsal room. But when a car accident happens and they find themselves owing Russians CHF 1500 to pay for their damaged Mercedes, Alain and Fredi need a way to come up with the money fast. They get the idea to kidnap a "healer cat", since her owner will undoubtedly pay a lot to have her back, and begin to plan the abduction...

Francois Korb is an arms manufacturer who sold both to the Germans and the Allied forces. Korb's home life is less than ideal, since his wife is having an affair with his brother, and his young son is inseparable from a teddy bear. To remedy the son's situation, the parents take in a little refugee girl as a temporary companion and playmate, and the two children become fast friends.