In the sleepy countryside of East Germany, in 1990, sixteen-year-old Maria moves in with her boyfriend on his family's farm. Dreamy and bookish, she soon realizes she is not cut out for agricultural work. A chance encounter with an enigmatic older man ignites an improbable affair. Henner is unpredictable, damaged, and expresses his love for her often through violence, yet Maria is drawn to him with a longing she can barely comprehend. As the hot, sultry summer progresses, keeping their passion a secret becomes even more difficult.