The Year of the First Kiss

31-year-old Tristan remembers the time when he was 15 and had just hit puberty. But he is not alone in this; he is with a large group of friends: Specki, a fat kid who is always stuffing himself; Streusel, a cheeky boy covered with spots; Tümai, a pretty Turkish girl; Kerstin, best friend of Tümai and very sporty; Elrond, with a heavy stutter, but regardless extremely popular and good looking; Lars and Simone, so far the only couple in the class, who spend most of their time smooching; and Long Jana, a girl who is at least 6 foot tall and extremely skinny. Tristan has just developed a huge crush on Kerstin, but is too shy to do anything about it. As if that weren't enough, his parents, both psychoanalysts, separate, which puts an abrupt end to childhood naivete. Tristan is supposed to move town at the end of the school year. But time is too short to grow grey hair. The friends experience awkwardness at dance school, masturbation, and first fantasies of the opposite sex, amateur school theatre, the first real party with lots of alcohol, strip poker etc. The biggest interest is, of course, to get ahead with the girls, which often ends up in very funny situations. Their mutual enemy is Simone's father, who beats her until Tristan finally works up the courage to stop him. On Tristan's last day, when all his friends come to say goodbye, Kerstin is missing. To his surprise, she is waiting on the swing in front of Tristan's new home. This is the beginning of a long, deep love, which leaves Tristan with the knowledge that he experienced something extraordinary, which most people never will.