Richthofen goes off to war like thousands of other men. As fighter pilots, they become cult heroes for the soldiers on the battlefields. Marked by sportsmanlike conduct, technical exactitude and knightly propriety, they have their own code of honour. Before long he begins to understand that his hero status is deceptive. His love for Kate, a nurse, opens his eyes to the brutality of war.

On her 35th birthday of all days, Hanna catches her boyfriend Robert in flagrante delicto. Hanna would like to be done with her life. But after a rather involuntary dip in the Isar, she goes to the bank and falls into the hands of three chaotic bank robbers who take her hostage.