
The film centers around three characters. Professor Wong, a neurologist from Hong Kong played by Tony Leung, travels to Marburg to study children’s brains, only to find himself stranded there during the COVID-19 lockdown. Feeling like an outsider, he’s left alone in the university, observed only by Anton, the janitor, who becomes wary as Wong starts experimenting on a ginkgo tree. We also see the story of Grete (Luna Wedler), a botany student at Marburg in 1908. During her entrance interview, she faces inappropriate and sexually suggestive questioning from her professors, who seem determined to test her limits. Finally, there’s Hannes (Enzo Brumm), a student in 1972 who initially wants to study poetry. He falls for Gundula (Marlene Burow), a researcher studying how geraniums respond to stimuli. Though he grew up on a farm and dislikes plants, Hannes agrees to look after Gundula’s flower while she’s away, and soon becomes fascinated by how aware it seems to be.