Joris sits with his mother and his sister at a crematorium, after 10 years of paying his mother Simone thinks the time has come, Joris and his sister can take care of it on their own. Joris is left pretty lost with the urn of his father under his arm. The same day the free-spirited Yad returns home to Almere, to escape the rough live he lives in Amsterdam. His mom really wants him to succeed his study in medicine and is not done discussing is with him. In the meantime she obligates him to pay rent en help in the household.
Yad tries to get his old job back at the local surfschool, where he feels at home, but they don’t have a job for him. He finds a job as a caregiver for Ans, a very forward grandma who wears her heart on her sleeve, who is an Amsterdammer through and through.
It is at her house that Yad meets her grandson Joris and although the boys are each others opposites, there instantly is a spark between them. Joris, an insecure young adult who attaches a lot of value to his appearance, is hesitant to jump into things with Yad, but when he eventually does, it blooms into a summer romance.
But its not all puppies and rainbows. Joris struggles with the death of his father, who died when he was 11. His mom spends all here time at the plastic surgeon or with a bottle of wine instead of giving Joris and his struggles the attention he seeks. She is everything but amused when she finds out that Joris has a love interest in the ‘foreign’ Yad.
Yad’s mother is disappointed about the fact that he lives at home again, not exactly what his parents had in mind for him. She also is not happy about Yad’s new boyfriend, who she with no doubt will label as white trash. Because of this Yad struggles with his feelings and his mother. This results in Yad deciding to end his new relationship with Joris and suggests to be just friends.
Joris is heartbroken and Ans decides to interfere. She shows Joris that love can not be steered and she confronts Simone about her unmotherly behavior. Simone realizes that she needs te be there for Joris and that the love between Joris and Yad could be true love. In the meantime Yad cleared the air between him and his mother and came to the conclusion that he is indeed in love with Joris and wants to be in a relationship with him. This results in a emotional reunion. Together they celebrate Ans’ birthday in her beloved Amsterdam where everybody comes together to celebrate life.
Just Friends was broadcast on SBS ONE at Sunday 31 March 2019, 13:00.