Eleven-year-old Sebastian lives with his mother. From an elevated spot on the playground, he surveys his neighbourhood. He can see Jimmy, who lives with his parents even though he has a child of his own. He can see Anders, who’s just been given planning permission for a new carport. In a hollow where rainwater flows into a brook, Mischa is looking for fish. He came as a guest worker in the 1970s but still hasn’t left. Sebastian sees the asphalt rotting. He sees hollyhocks eating their way into the foundations, causing fractures in the concrete slabs.