A young man, the son of a prominent comrade, increasingly realizes that life and circumstances in the GDR are not as portrayed by the state leadership. Gradually, his faith in communism crumbles. When his best work colleague dies in a tragic accident and his girlfriend also leaves him, Bernd decides to flee across the border with a friend. But will they succeed in crossing the minefield, and what is life in the West really like? For not everything that glitters is gold there either. This book vividly and compellingly depicts life in the GDR, the escape to the West, the fresh start in freedom, and the return to the old homeland.