A, an American film director of Greek ancestry, is making a film that tells his story and the story of his parents. It is a tale that unfolds in Italy, Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada and the USA. The main character is Eleni, who is claimed and claims the absoluteness of love. At the same time the film is a long journey into the vast history and the events of the last fifty years that left their mark on the 20th century. The characters in the film move as though in a dream. The dust of time confuses memories. A searches for them and experiences them in the present.
Financial Officer Katharina Kamp has to collect tax debts from the stud owner Carl von Balkhausen. She arranges a local appointment, but the grumpy squire ignores her. When Katharina unexpectedly loses her brother and his wife in an accident, she initially has very different worries. She lovingly takes care of her niece Lara, who survived the accident and now sits in a wheelchair indefinitely. By chance, Carls and Katharina's paths intersect again. He and his horses work wonders for Lara and Katharina.
Twelve-year-old Sprotte has a 'gang' with her three friends Frieda, Melanie, and Trude. Together, the girls care for Sprotte's grandmother's chickens. The new girl in school, Wilma, wishes to join the group, which Melanie is very unhappy about, and on top of all of that they have an ongoing revalisasion with a group of boys.