After being released from prison, Berlin street musician Bruno Stroszek finds himself lost in a world where he simply doesn't belong. So along with his prostitute girlfriend and an eccentric neighbor, Stroszek moves to America, where he's told, everyone is rich. It doesn't take long, however, after moving into a mobile home and taking a job as a mechanic, for Stroszek to realize that the streets of Railroad, Wisconsin aren't paved with gold.