Philip Winter, a West German author and journalist, is on a mission to capture the essence of the United States. Instead, he grapples with a severe creative block. Emotionally drained, Philip roams from one unremarkable motel to the next, documenting his aimless wanderings with a Polaroid camera. Everything changes when the uninspired writer meets Lisa, a single mother, and her daughter Alice at the bustling JFK airport. Jolted into action by the invigorating chance encounter, Philip and Alice embark on a captivating adventure through Amsterdam and across Germany in search of Alice's grandmother. But as they navigate this unknown territory, the question looms: will Lisa show up?