The Awakening of the Ants

Rajan, a teacher, falls in love with Chanda, a wealthy girl. However, he decides to go away from Chanda to earn money.

Michal, Oded and their daughter Shir appear to be an average young secular Tel Aviv family. Oded, a musician, is about to depart for a six month concert tour of the United States. Rather than accompany him, Michal has decided to move with Shir to the devoutly religious Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, in an effort to return to her original roots. In the course of researching a book she was writing about Hasidism, she is drawn to the community that was abandoned by her mother years before. This powerful film focuses on one woman's search for spiritual fulfillment, while at the same time highlighting one of the greatest rifts in modern day Israeli society -secularism vs. religion.

Cristina (49) has spent her life taking care of her mother Carmen. Single and without a trade or friends, she grows older, year after year in her hometown. A few days from her birth- day, Cristina reconnects with Sandra, a former schoolmate who will show her other ways to live, freely and without prejudice.

An old acquaintance visits the family of Astra and Vitols. As a result, passions are re-energized and family routine is disrupted.

In 1988, 13-year-old Lilly lies with her mother Rita, who escaped from East Germany 15 years earlier. Now Rita is dying of cancer, so her sister Lena, still living in the East, tries to get a visa to visit her, but her reason is not important enough, so she is only allowed to visit the West for one day: the day after Rita dies. At Rita's funeral, Lena and Lilly meet for the first time. Lena suddenly wonders who will look after Lilly now, because her dad died shortly after her birth, and the rest of the family lives in the East. Lilly is staying temporarily at a boarding school. After the day they spend together, Lena must take the train back into the East or be arrested. Before the train leaves the next day, Lilly escapes from school and implores her aunt to take her with her. Lena doesn't know what to do; getting a child into the East is impossible. The train leaves Hamburg and she must leave Lilly crying at the railway station. Shaken up in her feelings, Lena returns to her family in Jena, angry with herself and the system, because she knows she'd be imprisoned if she took Lilly with her. After her sister escaped in the West, Lena was already in prison for three years because she helped her. In Hamburg the youth office looks for foster parents for Lilly. Not knowing what to do, Lilly makes a plan to flee into the East. But this is not as easy as it seems. Together with her mother's friend, she travels to East Berlin, and from there on by train to Jena. In the evening, she arrives at Lena's flat for her cousin Till's birthday. After a little trouble she is warmly welcomed by Lena, but this isn't the end: she isn't allowed to stay there; she's a danger for the family. So Lena's husband refreshes his contacts with the underground, to find a way to let Lilly stay. Also, Lena's daughter Kathrin makes trouble because she can't stand Lilly and tries to get rid of her. Then Immigration shows up looking for Lilly.