Erik Neutsch has completed Volume 5 of his major novel series, leaving only a few pages unfinished. The reader encounters familiar characters and fates that directly connect to Volume 4. Achim Steinhauer faces a setback in his microbiological research. At the same time, he gains recognition as a writer, as one of his stories is adapted into a film; involved in the screenplay, he enters the realm of cultural politics. He participates as an observer in the VIII Party Congress and witnesses Ulbricht's removal from power. When he falls in love with the young actress Barbara Witte during the filming, his marriage to Ulrike enters a crisis.