It is autumn. An area of villas in the outskirts of the city. A dilapidated villa in an overgrown garden. The three Schwarz sisters live there. They make life miserable for themselves by constantly harassing each other. They can't live together but they can't get away from each other. Their father has been dead for a long time, but his spirit is omnipresent. Margaretha, who is seventy, has taken his place as head of the family and has been accepted as such by her younger sisters. She 'rules' the family from her wheelchair. She is the only one who has a pension. Paul, the postman, delivers it every month. Sophie takes care of the household and is treated like a servant by Margaretha and almost totally ignored by Clara. Clara, the youngest sister, had an affair years ago with Boris Kaminsky, a noted concert pianist. She lives in a fantasy world and has substituted Paul the mailman for Boris Kaminsky. One day Paul delivers Margaretha's mail along with another letter. Boris, who left Clara twelve years ago, wants to see her again. The uneventful lives of the three sisters are thrown into confusion.