13-year-old Paula is convinced she is surrounded by friendly grinning mutants. Only one person seems to have escaped infection by the extra-terrestrial virus: 16-year-old Jens. Ever since his parents were killed in a car accident, Jens has roamed though their suburban idyll looking stubborn, maladjusted and angry. More by coincidence than by plan, Paula and Jens find themselves in a stolen car on a journey to the site of his parent's fatal accident in France.
A gentle love story begins to blossom - and almost doesn't survive. But by the end of the trip, Jens realises that inner peace cannot be reached as easily as a place on the map and Paula learns that there are more important things in life than her mutant research.