Felix Kannmacher grows up with three brothers in the Baltic Sea town of Freiwalde. Felix's father, a strict schoolmaster, reveres the philosopher Immanuel Kant, while his mother is dominated by fluctuating moods and soon by delusions. The first brother drowns, the second organizes rooster fights, and the third voluntarily enlists in the impending war. Felix escapes into playing the piano, as a future as a concert pianist has been prophesied for him. The piano falls silent when his mother takes the strings to the collection point as a war resource. Felix gives his heart to Emilie, the daughter of the pharmacist. However, his older brother also has his eye on her. Felix is left only with Emilie's headstrong sister Alma. Just before the double wedding, he makes a run for it. 'An unforgettable story' unfolds the panorama from the late 19th century to the war.