Clumsy peculiar pupil Alfons Zitterbacke dreams of being an astronaut and wreaks havoc anywhere he goes but against all odds wants to proof everyone who is teasing him wrong especially his father who wants him to be more of a 'normal' kid.
No verão de 1979, na Alemanha Oriental, uma família bola um ousado plano para finalmente conseguir deixar o local: montar um grande balão caseiro que irá flutuar até a fronteira ocidental e repousar naturalmente logo depois. No entanto, na primeira tentativa, o clima instável faz com que eles pratiquem um pouso forçado e as autoridades são avisadas, fazendo com que a família corra contra o tempo.
End of the 1970s in East Germany: Fred and Jonas are close friends. The 10-year-olds live near at the German-German frontier. After the mother from Jonas has made an exit application, the boys have to recognize that they are soon separated from each other. But they want to dig a tunnel to Australia to meet there themselves again. When Jonas should leave the country with his mother this night changes everything.
Vivi is exhausted. Actually, she is about to become an attorney and to move in together with her boyfriend Adam, but somehow, she is stuck. She tries to flee back to her Moms couch, only to find that there is no more space for her. Vivi's father assumes that she needs some rest and sends her to an island...
