 In a touching tale set in the intoxicating underground of contemporary East Berlin, Sam an Afro-German, lives in a crumbling, once-grand apartment. Here, time blissfully ceases to exist, news of a photo sold and an ex-lover dead are equal reasons to celebrate, and a trip to the seashore seems the natural solution to all of life s looming problems. Like the schmaltzy old East German love songs that Sam is recording for his new CD, Sam and his friends rise to the top in spite of various misfortunes, not the least of which is HIV/AIDS. Careers stagnate, savings evaporate, and tragedy strikes, but somehow their lives are still victorious.