Vera would love to celebrate her 50th birthday in grand style, and she applies all her energies to achieving this goal. Of course, it would all be a lot easier without her husband Werner, her mother Charlotte and her grown-up children, each of whom have their own very individual ideas of what makes a successful birthday. Werner plans to surprise his wife with a trip around the world - but since he is terrified of flying, he attempts to overcome this phobia by means of autogenic training, which turns out to be a difficult task in the middle of a hectic household. Charlotte neglects no opportunity to show her daughter that she is still her child, and this too is hardly the best way to ensure that preparations for a birthday party run smoothly. When Vera and Werner’s children turn up, along with Aunt Irmgard, the chaos and confusion quickly mounts. The birthday party itself is launched with a huge misunderstanding.