Cold and misty winter days envelop a secluded mountain farm in Southern Tyrol. The relationship between the shy thirtysomething Albert and his omnipresent Mother, Marianne, who still pulls the strings in his life, seems just as cold. Albert is the farming family’s last remaining child and, not particularly overjoyed by the idea, is acutely aware that he will take over the remote estate from his parents one day. Wanting to spare him this difficult life, Marianne gets him a job at a stone quarry down in the valley. Albert remains unconvinced by the idea – until he meets the Hungarian kitchen help Paola. When his father dies in a tragic accident one day, mother and son are once again forced together, and Albert is left to find out what it is that he really wants in life.