Karl Bockerer is a Viennese original. He survives the ‘great times’ – to his own dismay his birthday is on the same day as the one of the “Führer” – by pretending to be more stupid than he really is, and uncovers, over and over again, the hypocrisy and the uptightness of the epic nonsense in his milieu by means of real and phony naivety. Where Schweijk made a mockery of the ruling system by being a presumptive follower, the Viennese butcher strives against the tide. And he is not alone, has family and friends. His personal braveness protects him neither from the rebellion in his own house, nor from the horrors of total war…

The story of the Trotta family during the rise and fall of the Austrian-Hungary empire. Based upon the novel by Joseph Roth.

District Inspector Pokorny was transferred some time ago from Vienna to the fictional Upper Austrian town of Mühlstadt after assaulting a suspect while on duty. There, as he says, he has to deal with "idiotic scoundrels who steal each other's chickens." Police officer Janisch was given a quick trial and sentenced to seven years in prison for robbing the post office in Litzelsdorf. His colleagues do not believe he is capable of such a crime and try to catch the real perpetrators. At the same time, they have to deal with a multitude of other cases.

The story of the Trotta family during the rise and fall of the Austrian-Hungary empire. Based upon the novel by Joseph Roth.

In war-torn Galicia, devout Jew Mendel Singer’s family faces hardship: his eldest sons are conscripted - one flees to Austria, then America - while their frail newborn Menuchim is deemed unfit to emigrate. Torn between love and survival, Mendel must choose who goes to the New World.