37 years old, just broken up with his girlfriend, unemployed and vaguely depressed, Hermann has problems of his own. Now, his mother, who is rambunctious, rapier-tongued, frequently drunk and, until now impervious to change, has cancer. The doctor's prognosis sounds pretty final, but after some online research, Hermann decides to accompany his mother to an unconventional treatment centre in the Netherlands. Mother and son set out on their trip to Amsterdam, embarking on a schnapps and pint fuelled picaresque that is by turns wickedly funny, tragic and profound.