Germany, late 90s: Johanna is an intern at a local newspaper and is struggling with the death of her grandmother. In addition to her grief, she is burdened by conflict with her family after she angrily confronts her uncle, who is only interested in his inheritance, at the funeral. She seeks balance by throwing herself headlong into her work. In the process, she comes across an old photograph of a concentration camp guard named Anneliese Deckert. With this find, she hopes to advance her journalistic career: Johanna tracks down the now 80-year-old, but does not expect to meet her entire family on the spot, nor does she expect the fuss the photo causes.

Jakob, a soldier mistreated by the king finds in a well a mysterious blue light which turns out to be a stroke of genius. He merely wants to teach the king a lesson by asking him to temporarily stealing whatever the king values most. He doesn't expect to be brought the king's daughter...

Leo, an advertising executive in his mid-30s, falls in love with Alex who's just gotten out of a long-term relationship. While Alex doesn't quite know how to react to Leo's advances, Leo's facing trouble with Alex's oddball clique.

Young journalist Sebastian Zöllner is writing an article on artist Manuel Kaminski. Zöllner hopes that Kaminski dies soon, so that he can cash in on his article.

Three musically talented children look to the future, but their hopes crumble when Germany and Russia enter into war.