Scent of Oranges

Darek lives in a Czech village in the border triangle of the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany, where he attends the 9th form. After his mother’s death, he has to look after his eight-year-old, mentally handicapped sister Ema and his father, who has difficulty coping with the loss of his wife and is increasingly seeking consolation in alcohol. But that’s not all: Darek has to fight a running battle with his former friend Hugo on a daily basis. Hugo seizes every opportunity to harass him and defenseless Ema. But then the summer also brings rays of hope into his life. Uli, his father’s friend, wants to feed and sell sick horses that have become useless for their owners on their land. Darek takes a liking to the “angels who give people wings” and dreams of opening a stud farm later. One day, 15-yearold Hanna comes to their farm to have Darek build a circuit for her school. Hanna is open and direct and beguilingly smells of oranges. Enchanted by the scent of oranges Darek is having a wonderful time, which suddenly ends at the end of the summer holidays...