Even the military academy can't stop kind-hearted officer Gottfried Engelhardt from seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. Everything in the young GDR is blooming: Engelhardt's career, the socialist state, the black market, and maybe even a chance at love.

But then Engelhardt is sent to retrieve his predecessor, Harry Harbola, who was arrested for being absent without leave and for dancing to rock-and-roll music in a bar. But Harbolla has no interest in returning to the barracks and instead leads Engelhardt on a series of bizarre adventures. After a series of comic episodes involving a former Nazi, a Free German Youth meeting, and accidental smuggling, the unlikely pair realize they have become good friends.