The sun brings the ever-present ash, which softly rests upon this world, to a shine. Germany, 2023, five years after the fall of the known world: Zacharias Brandt wanders through post-apocalyptic central Germany with his three-legged hyena, Else. The few survivors are scattered far and wide, yet he is known everywhere. He is the "childmaker," presumably the only man who can still father offspring. However, the former zookeeper is no friend of the people, whom he blames for the devastation of the world. Yet if he wants to get something, he must also give something. Is it a curse or a blessing that he can offer them hope? Does he truly want to gift them a new generation? Along his journey, Zacharias encounters people who affirm his views, but also those who offer him new perspectives and, in turn, provide hope.