Liliane Amuat

Anne and Nuri have only just been introduced by a mutual acquaintance when they travel to Nuri’s parents’ house in the mountains between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. As the conflict between the Israeli army and Hamas escalates, they spend two intimate days by the pool under the protection of the Iron Dome missile defense system as an escape from the nightly bomb alerts in the city.

Lisa is moving. Upheaval all around: Her mother flirts with a handyman. An eccentric woman seems to be preparing for a glamorous event, a family next door returns from vacation, and a girl documents the adventurous day. As boxes are transported, walls painted white, and furniture is assembled, underlying problems in need of fixing are revealed, a to-do list expands, and desires and needs flair up.

A writer falls in love with a younger woman.

Philipp wishes to give his terminally ill father Walter one last treat. To coax him out of his hospital bed he tells a white lie: Philipp pretends that his father has won the lottery.

Lou (29) is a present-day nomad. Forever in search of the ultimate kind of freedom, she’s long ago blocked out what it is she is actually running from. At home everywhere and nowhere. Living a now-now life. Click and - next, please. Until she meets Aro (35) and Aro is different. Even if he preaches the same sermon: Just make sure not to define the status of the relationship you’re in and enjoy the summer while it lasts, not committing to anything. And yet, without looking for it, they get under each other’s skin. Now there are expectations, jealousy nags and contradicts their frantic pursuit of independence. All of a sudden, Lou does not know anymore what it is all about. Where does she come from? Where does she belong?

John Gruber is in his mid thirties, an egocentric, living life in the fast lane and sparing no expense. But all of a sudden he is thrown off track by a cancer diagnosis and by the person who unwillingly delivers the news: Sarah, a DJane from Berlin, who is not his type at all. Feelings just aren’t Gruber’s cup of tea and now, without having asked for them, he has more than ever before…

Alex and his girlfriend Anna have a problem: Anna couldn't be more pregnant, and neither can find an affordable flat. The only one who can help is Anna's father, Commander Reiker, a sweet but screwy military man who owns an empty house. Reiker, however, to whom the Swiss Army means everything, has problems of his own: how can Switzerland, nation of fabled warriors that even exports its troops to protect the Pope, maintain its fear-inspiring reputation with all the cost-cutting measures? The Army is being forced to save, to restructure, and to take itself seriously. To prevent his ramshackle troops from being axed, Reiker urgently needs help. And just about anyone will do. Like his future son-in-law Alex, the least capable man one could imagine. As a yoga teacher, house-husband and pacifist, Alex has what it takes to be discharged, not put in charge. The pact he concludes with Reiker will not only shake up the Swiss Army, but also Alex's relationship with Anna...

Based on Julia Franck's novel which retraces the journey of a woman who, after the WWII, is ready to do anything to start a new life. Helene, a central character with many faces, shares life between two men, two worlds far from being alike