Tilda's days are strictly regimented: studying, working at the supermarket checkout, swimming, looking after her little sister Ida – and on bad days, her mother too. The three of them live together in a small town that Tilda hates. Her friends are long gone, living in Amsterdam or Berlin; only Tilda has stayed back. Because someone has to be there for Ida, earn money, take responsibility. There is no father to speak of, and her mother is an alcoholic. But one day, things start to change: Tilda is offered the prospect of a PhD position in Berlin, and a future that promises freedom begins to shine. And Viktor appears, the big brother of Ivan, whom Tilda lost five years earlier. Viktor, who – just like her – always swims 22 laps. But just as Tilda begins to believe that everything could turn out well, the situation at home spirals completely out of control...