Vienna, 1956. After Soviet tanks crush the Hungarian uprising, soldier-of-fortune Michael Reynolds is hired to help a threatened Hungarian scientist escape from Budapest.

At the age of 17 Inge falls in love with her teacher.

Leim, the carpenter’s journeyman, invests his lottery winnings wisely and marries his master Hoblmann’s daughter Pepi, securing a comfortable middle-class life. Zwirn, the tailor, falls for the alluring Signora Palpiti and lavishes his newfound wealth on her, rapidly depleting his fortune. Knieriem, the stout shoemaker’s apprentice, spends his windfall on endless drinking and revelry, embracing the carefree life without regrets.