In 1934 Koos Bink is 16 as he grows up in Crooswijk, a poor part of Rotterdam. He dreams of escaping the misery like his hero, boxer Bep van Klaveren, aka The Dutch Windmill. As a stowaway on board of a luxury passenger ship he tries to make his way to America and follow in the footsteps of the Dutch Olympic champion. The one thing Koos did not count on is that dreams will only get you so far.