One day, young mineworker Katlewski gets fed up with his lower class life and disappears into the Recklinghausen mine. Two weeks later, he reappears in a pit in Dortmund – coal-black, disoriented, and deranged. Then he meets Ulli, moves in with her and starts a new life with her. But first, he has to pay back a credit in his old life. Therefore, he quickly needs a lot of money. To get even with his former environment, he gets his hands on a chainsaw.