A schizophrenic patient is is wasting away in a mental institution, until a young doctor encourages him to write poetry. The resulting masterpieces are however not able to stop the man from suicide.

The film addresses the failure of the individual in anonymous urban society. The film begins as men attempt to break out of their anonymity and reveal themselves. In doing so, they encounter social rules that are not suited to them. The film asks how men can survive in a chaotic city by remaining silent.

Hamburg, Germany 1934: An executioner is needed. Teetjen makes the biggest mistake of his life. Because his butcher shop is facing bankruptcy, he agrees to execute a group of political prisoners for the Nazis. Once this becomes known, Teetjen’s life falls apart.

A car tells its story and the story of its seven owners during the years of the Third Reich.

In the summer of 1946, a group of young people meet on the banks of the Weser; together they take a boat to Bremen. Their experiences and conversations reflect the mindset of a youth uprooted by war and collapse, yet lead to the realization that one should not simply drift along.

1945: Buchenwald concentration camp shortly before liberation: Polish inmate Janowski rescues a small child hidden in a suitcase. A child in the world of death means hope and danger at the same time. When his fellow inmates and members of the secret resistance group discover the boy, they are faced with a difficult decision. But in the end, humanity prevails. The original and first German feature film about life and death in a concentration camp based on an authentic story.