The Struutz family in Bitterfield near Leipzig are getting ready for their first holiday in what used to be "capitalist" foreign fields. Inspired by Goethe's writings, they plan to head for Italy, "To see Naples and die". Included in the party is Trabi "George", the East German family car, attached to its owner Udo by eternal love-hate relationship. In Regensburg, the family from Saxony meets with their "dearest" relatives; in Munich, father Udo undergoes an involuntary blitz course in economicsm whereas daughter Jacqueline makes the acquaintance of a suburban playboy, and mother Rita indulges in a frenzy of shopping. At long last a truck-driver helps them to get across the Brenner Pass. For Trabi "George", this journey poignantly illustrates the pitfalls in re-united Germany repairs all along the way.