Sabine Wulff is almost 18 when she is released from the juvenile detention center. She doesn't want to return to her unsupportive parents or to her former boyfriend Jimmy, who got her into trouble by persuading her to steal cigarettes. She instead chooses to begin an honest life by getting a job and renting her own room.

Sabine's history and her blunt manner initially make it difficult for her to win the trust and friendship of her new collegues at the shoe factory. But Sabine refuses to give up and things start take a turn for the better when she uncovers fraud at work and helps improve the conditions there.

Based on the novel Gesucht wird die freundliche Welt by Heinz Kruschel.