The Nazis are coming to power. Carpenter's apprentice Franz Schall is thrilled – he's a member of the Hitler Youth. Innkeeper Matthias Mehs is horrified by how quickly the Nazis are seizing power everywhere. He has nothing to do with them, but soon makes compromises. Luise Solmitz is an ardent Hitler supporter – even though her husband is branded a Jew. The world of Willy Cohn, a German Jew, is also falling apart. Inge Thiele seeks affiliation with the League of German Girls (BDM).

The Olympic Games are taking place in Germany. Inge Thiele is jubilant. She reads Hitler's book "Mein Kampf," dreams of a better future, and hopes to find the man of her dreams. Matthias Mehs is withdrawing. When synagogues burn in Germany in November 1938, he doubts the humanity of his fellow citizens. Luise Solmitz fears for her husband and daughter. Egon Oelwein is convinced of the Nazis' master race ideology. Willy Cohn wants to leave Germany.

The war changes everything. Matthias Mehs' brother-in-law has fallen on the Eastern Front. Helmut Fischer is transferred to the East. He keeps hearing about executions. In the summer of 1943, Luise Solmitz experiences devastating air raids in Hamburg; the city burns. Egon Oelwein enlists in the Waffen-SS. Ortrun Koerber works in an armaments factory. She falls in love with an Italian forced laborer. Inge Thiele has found the love of her life; she marries and becomes pregnant. Will they survive the war?