Spring 1813: Europe groans under Napoleon's rule. After the dramatic defeat of the Grande Armée, Prussia and the Tsarist Empire go on the counterattack. In bled-out Saxony, people must make decisions that will irrevocably change their lives: a mother who desperately hopes for the return of her sons, a general who risks his head to have Saxony join the Allies, a countess who becomes Napoleon's spy out of love, two students who want to join the Lützowers, young Henriette on the run from looters. The people long for peace, while the rulers have long since secretly divided Europe among themselves and thus conjure up a mighty battle ...