Two couples, one house: the Rotemunds - he a dentist, she a housewife - have loved living here for the last twenty years, but now the children have moved out and with a heavy heart they are parting with their property to move into a smaller apartment.
The young Lindners - she a lawyer, he a financial advisor - seem to be the ideal successors, having immediately fallen in love with the house after numerous viewings. They are also planning to start a family here in the near future.
They have just come back from signing the contract and toast the successful sale in high spirits. Over drinks, however, the conversation becomes increasingly awry. The small talk, which initially ripples along in an effort to be friendly, becomes increasingly discordant.
Awkward intrusions on the one hand and unerring blunders on the other increase and when it emerges that the Lindners, who seemed so enthusiastic about the house, are planning to renovate the kitchen, which would mean the Rotemunds' lovingly tended rose garden falling victim, the situation escalates completely.