Madeleine Krakor

Seizing poisonous snakes or rescuing an environmental activist from a threatened tree—Mainz bailiff Billy Kuckuck handles these tasks with enthusiasm and competence. But cases such as the eviction of 80-year-old Margot Kühlborn, who has to move out of her familiar apartment after 50 years due to a personal use lawsuit, do not shake her so easily.

Two very different brothers: Gregor (32) and Pietschi (30). Whereas one is reliable and committed, the other is spontaneous and aimless. Gregor is married and is a good doctor; Pietschi in contrast is something of a ladies’ man and a hedonist. According to tradition, the two see each other at least once a year for a weekend of sailing. But this year Pietschi drops out without leaving a message, and simply disappears. Gregor’s life goes on, but he is confused and searches everywhere for a sign of his brother’s whereabouts. The more Gregor realises how little he knows about his brother, the more he becomes fascinated by these things he doesn't know. And the longer Pietschi remains missing, the more obsessed Gregor becomes with his brother’s fading echo, even going so far as to try and slip into his brother’s life. But what happens when one of them suddenly disappears from the mirror image? Can the other continue to be the person they are. Or rather, were?

Toni, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and Valerie, who has Tourette’s syndrome, have been a happy couple for over a year. When Valerie’s grandmother dies, however, the two face a major decision: whether to buy her grandmother’s run-down house in the village and start a new life. A life in which the routine-loving Toni cannot hold on to the structures he is accustomed to.