- A group of boys from a boarding school in Bamberg face a multitude of challenges - fights against local school boys, conflicts with their prefect and overcoming their own fears.
- Little Johnny Trotz travels all by himself from the US to Germany and gets to meet the pilot in the cockpit. Unfortunately, his grandma dies in a car accident on her way to the airport. Johnny finds a new home with the pilot and his sister. Ten years later, Johnny lives in a boarding school in Bamberg, Germany. He tells his story to new student Uli, who misses his home and parents. Appearing small and fearful, Uli is often being ridiculed by his classmates. After being woken by school prefect Laban, the boys have lessons with two of their favourite teachers. Geography teacher "Justus" Böhk makes them interested in foreign countries, while German teacher Kreuzkamm submits them to a difficult spelling test. He trusts his son to take home the test sheets. However, his son is being abducted by boys from a rivaling school, who bind him to a cellar post and burn the sheets before his eyes. Before taking measures, his classmates seek the advice of their friend "Nichtraucher" (non-smoker), a pianist who lives in an abandoned railway carriage. After learning that this rivalry has been going on for years, he suggests to name a boy from each side to fight it out. Matz from the boarding school wins the fight, but the other group refuses to set their prisoner free. The boarding school boys break into the cellar to get their classmate. When they return to the school much later than allowed, Laban is waiting for them and takes them to Justus, the head of their house. Instead of punishing them, he listens to their story and then tells a story of his own: As a boy, he was being punished for sneaking out of school to visit his mother in hospital. But a boy from his class took on his sentence, so he could visit his mother again. Justus reveals that they have been friends way into adulthood, but that the friend, who had become a doctor, suddenly disappeared after his wife and child had died. When the name Robert Uthoff is mentioned, the boys realize that this is none other than Nichtraucher. The class is rehearsing a play, written by Johnny. Under a pretext, they invite both men to the next rehearsal and are happy to see the old friends reunite. Uli is fed up with being bullied and decides to do something impressive. He invites everyone to the school garden and then jumps out of the third floor window, believing an umbrella would act as a parachute. He breaks his leg, but school nurse Beate and Dr. Uthoff take care of him. Afterwards, Uthoff is offered a job in the hospital, and a romance is starting to develop between Beate and him. Uli has to watch the school play in the gymnasium from his hospital bed. Johnny's play "The flying classroom" is inspired by Justus' lessons. In it, the class actually take a plane to visit places. This becomes a reality after Uli has learned that Martin's parents, who live in Mombasa, can't afford to spend time with their son in the summer break. Uli suggests to his father to invite the whole class, including Justus, to travel to Mombasa. Of course, the plane is being flown by Johnny's foster father.
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