The fragile lives of six people connect on emotional voyages toward forgiveness and reconciliation in Germany and Turkey. Nejat disapproves of his widower father Ali's choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But changes his mind when he discovers she sends money home to Turkey for her daughter's education.

Yeter's sudden death distances father and son. Nejat travels to Istanbul to find Yeter's daughter Ayten. However, political activist Ayten is already in Germany, having to flee the Turkish police. There, she meets Lotte who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, a gesture not pleasing to her conservative mother.

When Ayten is eventually arrested, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Lotte travels to Turkey, where she gets caught up in the seemingly hopeless situation of freeing Ayten.

Directed by
Fatih Akin

Cast
Hanna Schygulla - Susanne Staub
Tuncel Kurtiz - Ali Aksu
Baki Davrak - Nejat Aksu
Patrycia Ziolkowska - Lotte Staub
Nursel Kose - Yeter Ozturk
Nurgul Yesilcay - Ayten Ozturk

Production Co.
Corazon International GmbH & Co KG
Anka Film
Dorje Film
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)

Produced by
Erhan Ozogul
Andreas Thiel
Alberto Fanni
Flaminio Zadra
Klaus Maeck
Funda Odemis
Fatih Akin

Studio
Strand Releasing

Writer
Fatih Akin

Music
Shantel