On the one hand, Lucia could be mistaken for an Estonian Pippi Longstocking. The nine-year-old's life is full of pranks and exuberance. But on the other it is full of problems: She lags behind at school, her father Kaido's income as a gravedigger and casual labourer is insufficient to suport the family, her mother Maria is an alcoholic. While a mutual holiday in Finland brings a few rays of light into their family life as they stay with Sirpa, a supportive reverend, their plight grows all the more unbearable when they return. A new teacher seeks to put Lucia in the care of a children's home, and when Kaido leaves his family in a state of despair, Lucia's mother can no longer put up any resistance - the more so as her drinking problem conjures up a tragic catastrophe. Director Katrin Lauer takes a sensitive approach to recounting the idyllic moments of a childhood in the country while also depicting its dark aspects in their full intensity - and shows what it can be like for a child to grow up in an economically weak region in Europe.