The Plot

An invitation to an old childhood friend's 40th birthday throws the Baumgartners' hitherto happy life into disarray and makes them question their previous concept of life. Marie and Markus Baumgartner are a picture-book couple. But everyday working life and two children make it hard for the couple to catch their breath. An invitation to the 40th birthday of Marie's former best friend from school, Heike, including a long weekend, comes at just the right time. Without further ado, the Baumgartners hire Grandpa Walter as a babysitter and travel to Marie's old Bavarian home. The surprise on the spot is huge: Heike has achieved everything the two friends had once dreamed of. The chubby duckling has become a beautiful swan and she is living her dream job as a photographer. She lives in a dream house by the lake with her smart husband Hans.