A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn't have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.
Dr. Philipp Achtermann, a microbiologist from the GDR, was attending a conference in Frankfurt on business. On the return journey with his wife Nina, he allows himself a deviation from the prescribed route. On a side road near Lake Chiemsee, Achtermann's Wartburg collides with a West German BMW. At the wheel is Tom Maiwald, an architect.
