An alpine village shortly before the First World War. Widowed forester Rufman has little sympathy for his sons Friedel and Elias. Both find it difficult to cope with themselves. One day, a stranger appears whose curiosity confuses the suspicious villagers. Only Elias feels attracted to him. When a murder takes place in the village, suspicion soon falls on the forester's boys.

Matthias leads a succesfull rent-a-friend agency but as soon as his girlfriend Sophia breaks up with him, his life spirals into absurd chaos.