Ina, just released from prison, returns to the place of her childhood in search of life and meets the occasional desperado Domühl in her mother's house, which has been empty for thirty years. Hagen, a mentally handicapped resident, also ends up in this unusual landscape somewhere in the middle of nowhere south of Berlin in search of his uncle.

The young and rebellious Werther is passionately, but hopelessly, in love with Lotte. Although he knows that she is married to somebody who can offer her a secure future, Werther tries to be near her. Lotte cannot decide between these two men. She eventually rejects Werther, who does not survive her decision.

This tragic love story relates ten decisive years in the life of the great Romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin, played by a young Ulrich Mühe.

The fun-loving, 26-year-old architect Franziska Linkerhand (Simone Frost) works for a famous professor. Yet, she feels restrained by her dependence on him and longs to take risks. When her marriage falls apart, she moves to a small town for a fresh start. Franziska approaches her new life with vigor and idealism. Many of her colleagues have given in to the dictates of economic restrictions and prefabricated apartment blocks; but Franziska hangs onto her ideals and, as in her private life, is not willing to compromise…

The long-established aristocratic von Poggenpuhl family has seen better days. Towards the end of the 19th century, the major's widow and her children have long since eked out a poor existence characterized by a lack of money. Only the dusty ancestral gallery is a reminder of past fame and fortune. But while the mother has resigned herself to her new situation, her sons and daughters hope in vain for a change of fortune.

Johann Paul Schroth is a 20-year-old barber's apprentice who breaks out of the barber-surgeon's trade. Schroth wants to realize his dream, which is to put aside the beard knife and use the scalpel in such a way that people are healed and not tortured...

The funny and disillusioned portrait of a farmer who, after the death of his wife, sets off in search of a companion for a great trip to Iceland.

Stefan's mother is interviewed by a television crew at her home. On the subject of how a single mother, who is actively involved in the work process, copes, the son, who is present, only gives snotty answers. Stefan works as an apprentice bricklayer and helps to build the French Cathedral on Berliner Platz der Akademie. On the day of his 18th birthday, he tells his mother that he is moving out. In his new surroundings, Stefan meets Christel, a telegram messenger, with whom he falls in love. An attempt to spend a night together in his mother's spare apartment fails, as Christel immediately wants to tie him down. Stefan's mother also arrives earlier than expected. She still hasn't given up on her son. There is a lot of trouble when she catches him working as a toilet attendant in a pub.