A fairy-tale about a beautiful but very haughty princess Anna who cruelly mocks each of her suitors. Finally she is forced by the king to marry a beggar. The poor life, hard work and love teach the princess a lesson and turn her into a loving and kind person.

This film is set in a medieval mill town in the Harz mountains. The greedy and brutal millman and his accomplices, the castle steward and the mayor, set fire to a forest mill that the farmers used for processing their grain. Without their mill, the farmers must now rely on the millman's services. When the farmhand Anna uncovers the millman’s crimes, he swiftly detains her and a young miller, Jörg. The forest spirits have a different plan, however, and they free the young couple with the charge to rebuild the ruined forest mill and turn things around for the villagers.

Early 1921: a man is on his way home. Gleb Chumalov, regimental commander, worker and Hero of the Order of the Red Banner, returns to his home town from the Civil War. The victory over the enemies of the Russian people gives him the conviction that a new, better time will dawn overnight. Gleb looks for his comrades from earlier years, but only finds people who are emaciated by their efforts. The cement works where he used to work has been plundered and abandoned. With great effort, Gleb and his comrades try to get the plant up and running again. The struggle seems to begin anew... It is the time after the victory of the “Great October Socialist Revolution“ and the time of building a new society.

Two best teenage friends spend the summer holidays together in a village. Then a good looking teenage boy appears.

In Frankfurt am Main, a red sports car crashes into a wall and bursts into flames along with the driver. Erika Bongert, the owner, was not in the car and is not questioned by the police. Her boyfriend is CIA agent Jack Treets, who is able to keep her out of everything. He is soon in trouble himself, as Erika puts him under pressure ... Another car races across a road, this time on the transit highway to West Berlin. Erika Bongert dies as a result. The Ministry for State Security soon realizes that the American secret service is involved.

Berlin in the 60s. The construction of the Berlin Wall not only divides the city, but also separates the Rechlin family. While mother Ingelore lives with husband Hannes and the youngest son in the eastern part of the city, the young, married daughter Beate lives in West Berlin. Even when she gives birth to the first grandson, the newly baked grandma Ingelore cannot visit her. Travel permits are only issued one year later. But the formerly so tight family bond is burdened by the long separation. Son Bernd also avoids the rest of the family, as his new girlfriend has just been released from prison because of attempted "republic escape". And so Mother Ingelore almost has to watch her family shatter.

Berlin landlady Mrs. Klucke looks after the residents of Florentiner Strasse 73 like a mother, who could do with her help. When pregnant Brigitte is looking for a furnished room, she ends up with Mrs. Klucke. However, she has to make do with a spare room. At first Brigitte is quite disappointed that all sorts of residents and their guests regularly pass through the room, but over time she gets used to this situation. She soon comes to love the idiosyncrasies of the other residents of Florentine 73 and the motherly care of her landlady.

Albert Hauptmann is an out of work waiter in Cologne who is often confused with a former Captain of the Nazi Army. Albert uses this to his advantage and becomes the Director of the Montan Corporation, and a member of the West German Parliament. Herr Karjanke, the real Captain, learns of Albert’s ruse, and wants to claim his "rightful" position in Parliament. But Karjanke cannot come forward until his politicking "Doppelganger" succeeds in passing an amnesty law for war criminals. When Albert is finally brought before a judge on charges of fraud, he learns that this own amnesty law does not apply to him.

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

In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.