Ruhrpott 1972. The chubby, 9-year-old Hans-Peter grows up in the security of his cheerful and party-loving relatives. He trains his great talent for making others laugh every day in his grandmother Änne's grocery store. But unfortunately, not everything is rosy. Dark shadows fall over the boy's everyday life as his mother becomes more and more depressed after an operation. For Hans-Peter, this is an incentive to continue perfecting his comedic talent. The touching childhood story of one of Germany's greatest entertainers, Hape Kerkeling.