A retired head cashier, lonely after the death of his wife, lives in the hope of being able to move in with his son and his family after the latter builds a house. The son does not want to destroy his father's dream and conceals the fact that the family will not have enough money to build a house in the foreseeable future. When the father realizes this, he reaches into the cash register of his former company in desperation.

The film tells the story of the smelter brigade of a steel mill whose members are connected by a strong comradeship. Among the workers are, for instance, young Rolf, whom everybody just calls "Lachtaube" and who always comes through for his co-workers, or the likable Hubert, who works as a simple smelter again after being dismissed as the head of the steel mill. Then, there is also the stubborn Manfred, who should have become a brigadier long ago because of his experience and his competence, but this privilege is refused to him because Manfred is not a party member. Ironically, it is Manfred who hears by accident about the plans of the mill to close down the old Martin furnaces – and to lay off the smelters. When the other men learn about the plans they enter the barricades for their jobs and force the plant′s management to face the workers′ demands and criticism.

This elaborate two-part television film features a section from the life of communist worker leader Ernst Thälmann. It begins with the bloody riots on May 1, 1929 in Berlin, in which police officers shot at demonstrating workers, and ends with February 7, 1933, when Thälmann appeared as a speaker at the illegal meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Germany in goat neck. This period was marked by the struggle of the Communists against the ever stronger National Socialists and the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Rooster, cat, dog and donkey become homeless in old age for various reasons, wander and sing together. This gruesomely funny singing may not be enough to become Bremen's town musicians, but it is enough to drive away evil robbers and spend a peaceful old age in their house.

‎Shortly before her eleventh birthday, Sylvia receives her own apartment key. The sensitive girl is proud of the sign of recognized self-reliance, but also unsure whether she will meet the general expectations. So far, she has been mothered like a baby, especially by her twin sister Evelin, who knows everything much better.‎