After the closure of the mines in the German Ruhr region in the late 1970s, three young men are unemployed and unable to find jobs. Bored with the tedium of their lives, they steal a moving van full of furniture and start driving with no destination in mind. Anywhere will do, just as long as they get out and away. Along the way, they pick up a hitch hiking young girl, who joins them on their trip to freedom. However, soon they find the local police and other law abiding citizens from the region hard on their heels.