Kurt's (Tom Schilling) aunt was once imprisoned in a concentration camp and eventually died under the torture of Nazi doctor Karl (Sebastian Koch). Although Kurt was lucky enough to escape to West Germany before the construction of the Berlin Wall, he lived under the shadow of the Nazis throughout his childhood, which brought great trauma to his personality. After that, Kurt entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf. Unable to get out of the shadow of the past, he splashed his inner despair and pain on the canvas. By chance, Kurt met a girl named Ellie (Paula Beer). The beautiful and lively Ellie gradually healed Kurt's inner scars. When the two plucked up the courage to take the relationship a step further, they were strongly opposed by Ellie's father.