"So: Fatima! Aren't you going to take off your headscarf?" our coach repeated his question. Fatima shook her head no. "Alright." Then the coach noticed the girl's feet – and was taken aback: She was the only one standing barefoot in front of him. "That's not possible," he said. "Without shoes, you might get hurt. Don't you have any sports shoes with you?" Fatima shook her head no. Without looking at him. A student with a headscarf, a long dress, and no sports shoes – it was the first time Mr. Schrage had encountered something like this. Jakob has a peculiar relationship with numbers and figures, he knows entire lists of athletes' track and field performances by heart. For his classmates, of course, he's "crazy." Fatima is new to the class. She's from Algeria and with her long dress and headscarf... she's a bit strange. When Jakob tries to strike up a conversation with her, she doesn't even look at him! He doesn't like that. But when he sees her running faster than the school champion on the way home, he decides to train her, to help her become a champion. A little later, doctors find a cyst in Jakob's head. Although he has to go to the hospital and undergo surgery, he refuses to give up on his plan. Against all odds – against classmates who mock and threaten him. Against his illness. Against Fatima's family. THEME: IMMIGRATION