Liebling, weck die Hühner auf

Author Steffen Teuffel moves from Berlin to the quiet, declining town of Krummenwalde in Brandenburg, formerly part of East Germany. His wife, Beate, runs the local beverage company. Their children include Kai, a bright young man who has chosen not to attend college and instead works at the town's only pub; Lisa, a superficial teenager who allows a classmate to become infatuated with her as she explores losing her virginity with farm boys; and Sophie, the youngest, who captures the attention of other children by waving around a gold coin she discovered while diving in the town's lake. The coin catches the eye of the Lutheran vicar, Juchem, who needs funds for a new church roof. He enlists Steffen's research skills and knowledge of French to help him and the assertive mayor, Gerd Jänicke, who is seeking to revitalize the town, investigate local archives. Their search centers on a legend about a treasure lost by a Napoleonic regiment in the very lake where the gold coin was found. The group plans to divide the treasure three ways.