On July 24, 1978, a bomb blasted a hole in the outer wall of a prison in Celle, Germany. The attack was blamed on the Red Army Faction. Years later, in April 1986, the true background was revealed. The attack had been staged with the complicity of Lower Saxony's domestic intelligence service, the GSG 9 and high-ranking government officials. The result was the expansion of anti-terror measures to protect citizens. The documentary tries to get to the bottom of the affair, and at the same time asks whether this action is not just the tip of an iceberg, whether much more was not initiated to stir up public sentiment.

Made with an eye to the autumn of 1980 when the German parliamentary elections took place, The Candidate examines Germany’s history past and present and Franz Josef Strauß, the man who, as the CDU/CSU candidate, aspires to be elected to the most important political office in the land.