A group of German infantrymen of the First World War live out their lives in the trenches of France. They find brief entertainment and relief in a village behind the lines, but primarily terror fills their lives as the attacks on and from the French army ebb and flow. One of the men, Karl, goes home on leave only to discover the degradation forced on his family by wartime poverty. He returns to the lines in time to face an enormous attack by French tanks.
Inès trabaja en una gran empresa alemana establecida en Bucarest. Su vida está perfectamente organizada hasta que su padre Winfried llega de improvisto y le pregunta ”¿eres feliz?”. Tras su incapacidad para responder, sufre un profundo cambio. Ese padre que a veces estorba y que la avergüenza un poco le va a ayudar a dar nuevamente sentido a su vida gracias a un personaje imaginario: el divertido Toni Erdmann.
A German woman named Jasmin stumbles upon a dilapidated motel/diner in the middle of nowhere. Her unusual appearance and demeanor are at first suspicious to Brenda, the exasperated owner who has difficulty making ends meet. But when an unlikely magic sparks between the two women, this lonely desert outpost is transformed into a thriving and popular oasis.