At home, Malte and his father don't talk about Malte's mother. She has been dead to him a long time ago, Malte says, and his friends know that this is only half the story. When the young, strange woman Steffi Waldschmidt appears in Sepin and seems to fascinate Malte, Johanna, Jette and Fabian are surprised that Malte is so accessible to her because he usually gives women a wide berth. Father Henry Dannwitz also reacts with particular unease about the guest who has entered Fabian's guesthouse 'Treibholz'. When Steffi's resemblance to Malte's mother is spotted by an elderly villager, it becomes clear to everyone that the stranger has intentions here that are not just driven by mere curiosity. And so the secret about Malte's mother is revealed, a secret that has its roots in the time when our four friends learned to rely on each other in GDR times. For Malte, this truth is the first step towards reconciling with his mother...