The dramatic story of an exceptional politician. He was a man of many stations and faces: leftist socialist and revolutionary, Cold Warrior and city commander, Chancellor of Ostpolitik and reconciliation. Willy Brandt polarized the political camps like no other - loved and revered, elevated to idol status by some; hated, slandered, and hunted by others. At the same time, he was one of the few who set moral standards in politics. His personal fate is uniquely intertwined with the political history of Germany in the 20th century. Peter Merseburger describes Brandt's youth in Lübeck, his exile in Scandinavia, and his political rise after 1945. Vividly and with analytical insight, he traces the tumultuous life of this social democratic figure of the century.