Argentina, 2001. A shoe salesman and avid bandoneon player is forced to emigrate to Germany, but then he meets a beautiful but foulmouthed taxi driver as his tango band gets a new singer.

Buenos Aires, November 2001. Argentina is embroiled in crisis, with the Peso plunging deeper and deeper. Julio Färber, the charismatic bandoneon player of the "Vecinos de Pompeya" ("Neighbours of Pompeii"), a five-piece working-class tango band, is trying to keep his head above water, but every month he is earning less and less from their gigs as well as from the traditional shoe shop he inherited from his father. At the very moment he takes the decision to leave his beloved Buenos Aires forever, it clearly appears that life is conspiring against him: overnight, the government freezes all bank accounts in the whole country, preventing Julio from purchasing the flight tickets and sparking violent protests throughout the town. And Mariela, a witty young woman and feisty cab driver, bumps into his car at full speed, damaging Julio's last possession of value before stealing his heart.—betacinema.com

Julio plans to leave Buenos Aires because he sees no future there. Argentina is grappling with significant economic problems in 2001, for which many hold the authorities responsible. Julio, his daughter and his mother are moving to Berlin to start a new life. He owns a shoe store that his father started, and it's struggling to stay afloat. Julio also plays the accordion in a tango band, at the local bar where they are currently paid with some empanadas instead of money. Eventually, they team up with washed up tango singing star Rodrigo Tortorella and secure some lucrative gigs. One day, Julio crashes his car when he encounters a taxi driving recklessly. Over time, he gets to know the driver, Mariela, a woman that doesn't give up even when life presents challenges.—exe_malaga93