Helga Reidmeister's “family documentary” centers around a mother of four, the former wife of a Berlin laborer. When Irene Rakowitz divorced Richard, her husband of 19 years, in order to live in a way that would more satisfy her needs and interests, the move had the approval of the entire family; Richard took a separate flat in the same building. The film probes the problems and experiences of this unusual family, especially of Irene, to whom Reidmeister attributes the film's sense of energy and courage: “for in spite of all the set-backs in her struggle to gain an independent life, Irene has held on to her belief that it must be possible to live meaningfully.”