Berlin, modern day: Tom Lunies is rehearsing a new composition titled Sterben (“Dying”) written by his troubled, highly-strung best friend Bernard who’s questioning whether his work is valuable or completely worthless. Though romantically involved with his assistant Ronja, Tom is about to become a father, of sorts; his ex-girlfriend Liv has called on him co-parent the child she is expecting, even though it was fathered by another man.

Hamburg: Tom’s barely-together younger sister, Ellen, a dental hygienist, begins a frenzied affair with a married new colleague with whom she shares a passion for self-medication and hedonism.

Meanwhile, Tom’s ailing, sharp-tongued mother Lissy is struggling to care for her husband, Gerd, whose mental decline is wreaking havoc on their quiet lives. Where are the couple’s two adult children when they are needed most?