Beginning in West Germany in 1982, 18-year-old school boy ''Helmut'' falls in love with fellow pupil ''Britta''. He starts working for a Peace movement to get to know Britta. Britta, however, suddenly moves to San Francisco to live with her father and whilst there, finds a new boyfriend. Helmut studies literature and politics in his home town and has a relationship with another girl from his former school, now studying medicine on the same university but they break up after having an affair with her room mate. Helmut begins a lot of short affairs with different women but still searches for his first girl.