Upon her release from prison, Alex escapes into her childhood paradise, a small town in East Germany. In her late grandmother’s house she gradually rediscovers herself and prefers to keep everything at bay – the glances, the conversations, her neighbours’ lives. But Piet, a driving instructor with a love of birds, and his 12-year-old son Tom just won’t take no for an answer. They all celebrate birthday and save newly-born piglets. And they force Alex to take a stand. She ventures out of her seclusion only to realize yet again how thin the ice and how volatile happiness are, however small it may be.