Hermman Broekman is a rather sultry introverted man aged about 35. He lives with his girlfriend Inez in a working-class area of a big city. He works in the storeroom of a large department store. But when the store goes bankrupt and all the staff are sacked, hard times ensue. In Herman′s case, his work determines his place in the world. Now he has lost it all at once. His older friend, colleague and mentor Man would do his best to let Herman return to being the punk poet he once was: the poet Sombreman, writer of the anthology "Action". But Herman buried the idea of being a poet underground a long time ago. Inez, his girlfriend, also yearns for the rebirth of Sombreman, the man she once fell in love with. She wants a child. But Herman says all kinds of things, but never says yes. Inez feels the life slipping away from between her fingers and starts to doubt whether she wants to stay with Herman.