A snowy sanatorium and a young boy with a heart condition who discovers love.
A few weeks before Christmas, fourteen-year-old Wilhelm is admitted to a sanatorium near Dresden with a heart condition. Reluctantly, he must leave his beloved mother at the clinic's gate. The building is a white palace, surrounded by a lush castle park, offering treatments like bed rest and fresh air. Wilhelm quickly befriends his roommates: Edgar, who is already engaged, kind-hearted Milo, and bookworm Bruno. Soon, the four of them start bending the many rules and restrictions that define life in the clinic, giving Wilhelm a glimpse of what it means to grow up. And then there's Ilona, a nursing student whose brown hair refuses to be tamed by her cap. She ignites in Wilhelm a love for reading, tender feelings of affection, and above all, an unwavering will to live.
