Parvaneh is a young Afghan immigrant who recently arrived at a transit centre for asylum seekers in the Swiss Alps. The only things she has got to know yet are the rural area surrounding the centre and the centre itself.

Karl Käppeli, strapped for cash after funding his daughter’s wedding, must launch a 1920s–themed ad campaign for a brassiere factory just before the ceremony. His world is disrupted when an enchanting dancer sets her sights on him, yet curiously, only Karl seems aware of her presence.

Cunning genius or poor devil? Ex-office clerk Kurt is both: he uses false papers and fictitious people to collect heaps of social benefits. Papa State is a real goldmine for Kurt. But at some point the scam is exposed.

Film tells the story of how Switzerland came into being - albeit in a slightly different way to the historical circumstances we have known up to now: William Tell proves himself a national hero against his will in the midst of the comic chaos of court intrigues, mishaps and misguided love of country. Habsburg occupiers and Swabian tourists stand in the way of the Confederates' fight for independence, but a parodic all-round attack ensures that all patriots learn their history lesson - and in the process are relegated to their respective national borders.