Tobias, aged 13, lives in an East German city and his life is as depressing as the blocks of flats in his quarter. He doesn't know who his father is, his classmates think he is "antisocial" and always pick on him, and his mother Anja lives with ignorant, violent Fritze. During a dispute in his class, Tobias claims that his father came back from South America with an iguana. The next day, he shows his amazed classmates and teacher the animal and a photo of his father. The problem: the iguana and the photo belong to his neighbor Max, head writer of a daily hit soap opera. When Max realizes that Tobias seeks his friendship, he thinks that the boy's story could be a good plot for his show. Thus, he looks after Tobias, but Anja's surprising death changes everything..