The First World War is over. Martha and Paul lost all their savings during the inflation of 1923, and their financial situation is precarious. Their daughter Ella is determined to become a doctor, but she must first put her dream on hold and support the family. She follows in her mother's footsteps and begins training as a nurse. Then the Nazis come to power. Ella eagerly anticipates her studies, but her enrollment at the university is denied. When the family finds themselves in a terrible situation, all hopes rest on the youngest son, Fredi. He makes a career in the homicide department of Hamburg and enters into a dangerous pact with the Gestapo.