Vienna, 1937, on the eve of the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. The young and inexperienced Franz Huchel begins to learn about both the joys and hardships of life by working as an apprentice to the mutilated war veteran Otto Trsnjek in a small tobacco shop, where he meets the famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, a regular customer, who will become a valuable friend in times of chaos and uncertainty.
To save his town Braunschlag from bankruptcy, the mayor decides to fake a Marian apparition. This black-humored farce revolves around greed, corruption, churchianity and alcohol.
A retired police officer discovers a dead body on a frozen lake. When his own family members become the prime suspects, he decides to start his own investigation.
