Cosmin, a Romanian who lives in the occident, returns home to see his mother who has fallen ill.
It is 1989, the days before Christmas. He hasn’t been there since he left many years ago, and it is just the time that riots and demonstrations take place all over Romania.
By the time he arrives, his mother has already passed. Her funeral starts, and according to tradition, people get drunk on the "palinca", a strong spirit similar to vodka, that she had distilled herself over the last months for this occasion.
They hear the news from the capital over the radio- the government is overthrown and Ceausescu, the dictator, shall be executed soon.
Now that the police and officials have lost power, they decide to go into town and celebrate it. Ana is leading the group of revolutionary peasants and tries to make an impression on Cosmin, the special guest from the west.
Having been his previous love, she senses that Cosmin is missing something extraordinary in his life. Not only does she convince him to wreak havoc in the city; the two spend the night together as well.
When Cosmin needs to return the next morning, Ana asks him to symbolically "commit one last crime": She wants to put up a big slide ("Tobogan") at the border and to slide into Europe - just to prove that in these days no rules, laws or even borders can stop them apart from the ones they make themselves
