1988: The 13-year-old girl Lilly lives with her mother Rita, who escaped from East Germany 15 years ago. But now Rita suffers Cancer, and she will stay alive only a few more days. So her sister Lena, still living in the East, tries to get a visa to visit her sister, she hasn't seen for 15 years. But her reason is not important enough. So she' only allowed to visit the West for just one day after Rita died. On the funeral, Lena and Lilly meet for the first time. Lena suddenly realizes, that there is no one left to care about Lilly, because her dad died shortly after her birth and the rest of the family lives in the East. Temporary Lilly lives in a boarding school now. After the day they spend together, Lena has to take the train back into the East, or she would be arrested. Before the train leaves the next day, Lilly escapes from school and implores her aunt to take her with into the East. Lena doesn't know what to do now, because she knows it is impossible to get a child into the East