Well-known novelist and literary monument, 55-year-old Jan Meerman's successful life is thrown upside down when his 85-year-old mother, Josée Verbeke, unexpectedly has a severe stroke. Jan no longer recognizes his once lively mother as her verbal witticisms have been replaced by pitiful cries and gibberish. In these difficult times Jan faces the upcoming deadline of his new novel. The confrontation he has to engage with the decline of his mother makes him question his priorities.

One day, gnome Plop receives a letter from his uncle Knap. It states that Uncle Knap is very ill and that he can only heal if he drinks the juice of the Carbuncle root, but that root unfortunately only grows in Plop's forest and there isn't enough time left. Klus decides to build a real airship with which the gnomes can fly to Uncle Knap, but the journey is difficult and not without dangers..

Tony is a homosexual law student who quits his studies. With a van and a handful of cash, he hits the road hoping to become a salesman. This, however, turns out to be harder than he expected.