
Gardner Barnes

Phil Hicks

Kenneth Waggener

Dorman
Truman Sparks

The Girl

Trelis

Gas Station Mechanic

Judy

Phil's Mom
Lester Griffin

Lorna

After surviving a heart attack, bus company owner Marianne Toeplitz should actually be more concerned about her health than her ailing business. But she only does this after an argument with her daughter Susanne, who wants to merge with the competition. Against all reason, Marianne sets off for Italy with her granddaughter: Teenager Nellie is in love and wants to join her boyfriend in Rimini - where Marianne experienced an unforgettable romance with the charming Giuseppe many years ago. Susanne follows the two runaways and gets closer to her ex-husband again. Marianne also learns that old love never rusts.

In the middle of his life, Paul Gompitz from Rostock makes the decision to travel to Syracuse in Sicily. He is driven to follow in the footsteps of the poet Johann Gottlieb Seume. But: Paul lives in the GDR, behind the most annoying border in the world. His plan is impossible by legal means. So he has to prepare an escape.

After they have graduated from school, the two best friends Kati and Jo jump into their purple Benz and embark on a journey around the world southwards. Kati, however, struggled with the decision for the journey as the love of her life returned to their hometown Tandern shortly before their departure. The journey leads the two friends over the Brenner pass, where their car suddenly stops working. When Kati then also learns that her grandfather is about to die, she wants to return home – this puts the friendship of the two to an acid test.