Arianne Borbach

In the wintry Baltics, a century is drawing to a close and with it the era of the old Junker aristocracy. Pastor Erwin Wenger falls in love with the beautiful Baroness von Werland. This love plunges him into serious conflicts of conscience, especially as he does not appear to be the young woman's only admirer. Her husband, the ailing Baron von Werland, seeks to be close to the pastor. And it is not only the baron's health and the old castle that increasingly deteriorate, but the man of God's moral stability also begins to waver ...

The puppet player Sebastian Fußberg moves through the country at the end of the fifties. Despite his age, an unwavering dreamer and idealist. But also a torn person who cannot detach himself from the shadows of his past.

Young construction worker Ralf Reider leaves his home village Katzsprung in the Rhön mountains during the "Berlin Initiative". In the capital, he wants to earn enough money in construction to build his own house for his wife and his child. But Ralf is an unconventional character who soon becomes an outsider because of his behaviour.

Claudia and Georg Rattey, a married couple, have everything what people in their mid-thirties might wish for: a car, a farmhouse for vacations on the weekends, and their son Oliver. But their contentedness does not turn into happiness but into an inner void: Claudia and Georg have nothing left to say to each other and just live alongside each other. One day, they discover a ten-year old burglar in their half-finished vacation home.

Twenty-year-old electronics technician Liane, desperate to escape her broken home, resists a demotion at work and falls for research student Jürgen. Fiercely defending colleague Kalle against unfair accusations, she overshadows her own troubles, including an unplanned pregnancy. When Jürgen betrays her, Liane collapses, and she wonders if a new beginning with steadfast Kalle is possible.

Two men want to escape the hustle and bustle of Christmas in the city and travel to the countryside. However, it's not easy to find accommodation on the spur of the moment. And so they end up in a rather spartan hostel…

Three Germans, Tinka, Natalie and Tim speed across the desolate Russian landscape in their jeep. They have done some good business and are jubilant. Suddenly, they are forced to stop at a road block.

“Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” Lara can hardly believe what the doctor has just told her. The 25-year-old spends her nights hanging around Berlin with best friend Nora, having lost interest in her architectural studies long ago. She has no idea what to do with her life – she does a lot, but nothing properly. She now finds herself pregnant after a night of passion with a charming barman she met at a party. Nora is thrilled by the news though, proclaiming: “we’re having a baby!” After some initial doubts, Lara too begins to see her pregnancy as a chance. Together with Nora, she sets about painting the nursery and goes in search of the baby’s father. Then the gynaecologist gives Lara some bad news…

Rüdiger Stein starts filming Klaus and Manuela, young expectant parents, for a documentary on the topic "Starting a Family." As the project threatens to fall apart, Rüdiger becomes personally involved in this family-to-be, an experience which enables him to open his eyes to his life and work.

Gottfried and Markus are friends who have done everything together so far: School, vocational training with A-levels, time in the army. Markus' girlfriend Karin is also adored by Gottfried. Now they are about to leave for Dresden to study physics. At the last moment, Gottfried changes his mind. He stays and wants to become a home educator after picking up a runaway boy and bringing him back. Markus terminates his friendship, his parents and colleagues are stunned. But Gottfried enthusiastically puts his intention into practice. Karin turns more and more to him, and when he loses some children on an outing, Markus helps.

Tom, a 17-year-old window design apprentice, dreams about true love. One day, a new girl from East Berlin moves to town. Tom has a crush on her and will do anything to impress her. When he finds out that she plans to become an actress, he even discovers the aspiration to perform himself. For a while, Tom is on cloud 9.

1942. The members of the Voß family, mother, two daughters, a daughter-in-law, and a son-in-law, are living in a house at the river. A fellow soldier of son Paul, who fights at the eastern front, delivers his greetings and an embroidered Russian blouse for Emmi, Paul′s wife. Daughter Agnes, whose husband is also fighting in the war, receives a fur vest from the junior partner who is stalking her. Obviously, the vest is also loot from the eastern front. When the family receives news that Emmi′s husband has been killed in action, the war finally enters the house at the river. Emmi commits suicide while Agnes′s husband returns as a cripple from the war front. At home, he has to learn what a price his wife had to pay for the "Russian fur".

Pauline Oswald is 50 years old and has three daughters with her husband Robert. Now, after almost 30 years of marriage, they are about to divorce. This marks the start of a completely new life for Pauline. Until now, she has only worked as a mother and housewife, while her husband Robert, an academic, brought home the salary. Pauline later meets the cheerful and resolute Wally, who works as a brigade leader in a large laundry. A friendship develops between the two women, and Wally helps Pauline to continue on her path to a self-determined life.