Around one billion people suffer from stress-related illnesses worldwide – and the number is growing. What protects those with good mental health? Is their resilience innate? Or is the ability to resist chronic stress and crises learned?

In search of answers, the film visits some of the leading figures in resilience research. The filmmakers also interview epigeneticists and neuroscientists. At Europe's largest resilience center in Mainz, Germany, researchers are conducting a long-term study to explore the mechanisms deployed by people who enjoy good mental health despite stress and crisis. In the south of France, the film meets Boris Cyrulnik, pioneer of research on resilience. His credo: When it comes to resilient behavior, it doesn't just depend on us: society and politics also have the responsibility to create the appropriate conditions for stable psychological health. And the film tells the moving story of two families united by tragedy: following the violent death of their two sons, who were friends, they struggle to find a semblance of normal life.

Our experiences, our environment and our genes all influence our powers of mental resilience. Resilience is not a magic word or a promise of happiness, but a lifelong learning process.

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