It all began in the 1970s, as hopeful young actresses Johanna and Heidi and the inventive director Rainer made it all the way to Hollywood with their very first film. But the illusion factory of Hollywood is always on the lookout for something new, and the three newcomers are soon no longer so refreshing. Johanna returns to Germany to work as a props supervisor, Heidi begins to earn her living as channelling medium – only Rainer cannot seem to say goodbye to the film business.
The love of Rainer's life is his teenage daughter, Allegra, who lives with his ex-wife and visits him only once a year. For her sake, he maintains the illusion that he has made it in Hollywood and that every year he moves into a new mansion – which in reality he is only housesitting.
And then it happens. The owner of the mansion decides to come home earlier than planned. Rainer hits upon an idea of how he can save the situation. He pretends that he has been called in for a ›highly urgent shoot‹ and asks Johanna to take Allegra to a trendy yoga hotel until he returns. And so begins a rather curious road movie…