Architect Barbara Bärenklau has packed her things and left Berlin. Somewhere in Brandenburg, she sits in front of her house and burns her past: old furniture, files, and letters. At the same time, Ilke, the daughter from a previous marriage, sets off on the ICE to look for Babara in Berlin. The young woman has not seen her mother for over 20 years. Because Ilke can't find her, she hires a private detective. Thanks to his mysterious contacts, the private detective finds her mother again. She enters Barbara's house, her life, her current family without disturbing them at first. But then the private detective also shows up in Barbara's life -he too shares a piece of her past.