The novel is set in East Berlin in the real-life street of Sonnenallee sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

The film Sonnenallee, also written by Brussig, is based on the same characters but depicts a significantly different storyline.

The story is centered on the main character fifteen-year-old Michael "Micha" Kuppisch who lives with his parents and siblings, Sabine and Bernd, in a typical East Berlin flat.

The character shows how many living in West Berlin had a tainted, sympathetic and often condescending view on life on the other side of the wall.

Throughout the story there is much focus on low-level rebellion by Micha and his friends, such as Wuschel's desire to listen to illegal music such as the Rolling Stones.