Summer 1989, East Germany. Adam works as a tailor, Evelyn as a waitress. They are planning a vacation together when Evelyn finds out that Adam is cheating on her and decides to leave on her own. She travels to Hungary, trailed by Adam. As the border with Austria opens up, everything changes. Adam and Evelyn now have to decide in which world—East or West—they want to build their future.

In the dominant historical narrative of Germany, the GDR was a backward and desolate country to live in and the fall of the Berlin Wall came as a liberation to its citizens. Without being overtly political, Adam & Evelyn makes a subtle statement against the alleged supremacy of Western life. In languid images reminiscent of Christian Petzold, the film follows the love story of two working-class people and their lethargy and contentment in the face of change.

Adam & Evelyn is based on the eponymous novel by Ingo Schulze which was translated into more than ten languages.