The story takes place during the Cold War in 1979, when Gant (David Kross) and Pete (Friedrich Mücke) were in the iron-fisted regime of the East German rulers. Although their actions were restricted, the two did not give up the pursuit of freedom. They used up to two years to plan a stunning escape. The two used all the resources at hand to make a huge hot air balloon. They planned to lead their families to flee to West Germany in the simplest and most direct way. However, just as the group was about to cross the border, the hot air balloon crashed due to an accident. At the same time, their actions attracted the attention of the secret police, and the hunt for them was quickly launched. While evading the pursuers, Gant and Pete had to find ways to make a new hot air balloon, and a race against time began.