Kathy Berger (Stephanie Japp) is a successful translator whose 17-year-old autistic son Jimmie (Joel Basman) lives in an institution. He doesn't talk and seems mostly uncommunicative, but shows great talent and passion for swimming. Kathy decides to move him back in with her, even though her lawyer ex-husband Michael (Michael Neuenschwander) thinks he should go to another institution an hour and a half away. At the public pool, Jimmie and Kathy meet Jan (Martin Rapold), a swimming coach who is impressed by Jimmie's talent and invites him to join his team, the Dolphins.
Jimmie contains examples of:
- Character Tics: Jimmie holds his arms bent like a T-Rex and shakes them while he walks. He also rubs his hands against his face and flicks his fingers.
- Disappeared Dad: Kathy and Michael split up two years ago. Since then, he's visited Jimmie a total of five times.
- Family Versus Career: Kathy quit her studies when Jimmie was born. Her career didn't take off again until after he was institutionalized.
- Freeze-Frame Ending: On Jimmie's face after the Dolphins win first prize.
- Handshake Refusal: When Kathy introduces Jan to Jimmie, Jan holds his hand out, but Jimmie keeps holding his right arm against his chest.
- Happy Rain: Jimmie is first introduced eagerly staring out the window at the rain, then happily walking around outside.
- Overworked Sleep: When Kathy's employers bump up her deadline from spring to Christmas, she works so hard that she falls asleep on the couch with the book and her notes next to her.
- Parent with New Paramour: Kathy starts dating Jan, to the annoyance of Michael, who is willing to babysit Jimmie while she works on her translation but doesn't appreciate doing it so she can have a night out.
- Sensory Overload: When Jimmie becomes overwhelmed by the sound of the blender, and later by his parents arguing, he runs downstairs whimpering with his hands over his ears. He watches videos with the sound off for the same reason. Kathy tells Jan that he doesn't talk because his own words would be more noise to him. During his first real competition, he becomes so overwhelmed by all the crowd noise that he freezes up instead of jumping into the water. Before his second race, his teammates buy him earplugs, allowing him to lead his team to victory.
- Shower of Angst: Jimmie deals with stress by taking showers. When he gets overwhelmed in the gym, he achieves the same effect by running outside in a rainstorm.
- The Stool Pigeon: Team member Dana (Miriam Stein) is a Concerned Claire. She rats out her boyfriend Rick (Nils Althaus) for abusing steroids, getting him temporarily kicked off the team and allowing Jimmie to take his place.
