The film is based upon the life of the Italian singer Rocco Granata who moved to Belgium when he was a young boy.

[2][3] The movie contains a cameo, with Rocco Granata himself playing the role of the salesmen that sells him his first instrument.

Salvatore Granata is a rather poor man who lives with his wife, son and daughter in Calabria in Italy.

One day Salvatore decides to move to Belgium to work in the coal mine of Waterschei as a Gastarbeiter.

He hopes to earn much money in a rather small timeframe so he can buy a forge for his son Rocco who is now still a 9-year-old boy.

They soon discover the life of a gastarbeider is difficult: they have to live in some kind of barracks, they are neglected by the Belgian people and they do not earn much.

They are astonished when they hear Salvatore signed a contract of five years and male children of gastarbeiders are ought to work in the mines as soon they leave high school.

It turns out Rocco is a rather good mechanic and he gets an apprenticeship in the local automobile repair shop.

Rocco's mother Ida earns some money by washing and ironing the clothes of other gastarbeiders.

However, Rocco sneakily goes to pubs and bars to play with his music group "The International Quintet".

The car breaks down and the owner of the automobile repair shop puts and end to Rocco's apprenticeship.

When Rocco returns home, he is arrested by the police as he is identified as the wrongdoer who raped Helena the night before.

There is also more bad news: the recording company does not want to release the single as "nobody is interested in a boy playing the accordion".