Josef Griesser

The Alps, late 19th century. Greider, a mysterious lone rider who claims to be a photographer, arrives at an isolated lumber village, despotically ruled by a family clan, asking for winter accommodation.

Ten years have passed since Benedikt Stirner left his home in Bavaria after the fatal accident of his brother. Now he returns - the father is dying. But the strict family patriarch reacts dismissively, as does Benedict's brother, Anton. He is now betrothed to Benedict's great love Johanna and fears that his brother could take Johanna away from him. In fact, the two fall in love again. As a result, Benedict draws to Anton's open hatred. He does not suspect that Anton is the only one who knows the whole truth about the accidental death of his youngest brother.

A young woman is released from an asylum where she has been since witnessing the murder of her parents, but violence continues to haunt her.

In Paris, unhappy movie actress Catherine Crachat becomes infatuated with the mathematician Pierre Indemini, but then breaks up with him. After a film shoot in Vienna, Catherine stays with a rich admirer, Fanny Hohenstein. Fanny has a history of many lovers of both sexes, two of whom killed themselves over her.

1969. The Prague Spring has been demolished. New barbed wire installations have been erected. Julia, who is thirteen, has moved with her mother to a village in northern Austria which lies on the Czech border. Julia has not spoken since her father's death. Her isolation increases in the village where she is an outsider. Provoked into proving her courage by some young villagers, she walks into no-man's land. She discovers a forgotten tunnel which leads to a construction site on the Czech side of the border. Julia makes the acquaintance of Roland, a forty-five-year-old surveyor, on "the other side". An ambivalent father-daughter relationship develops between them. Roman is the only one to whom she confides the secret of her border crossings. Due to his affection for her, she regains her ability to speak. And she starts to feel at ease with Alexander, who is her age. Roman makes new plans at Julia's urging. The insurmountable border foritfications will remain vulnerable . . .

Idomeneus, King of Crete, one of the great heroes during the total destruction of the famous city of Troy was sailing back to his realm when a terrible storm broke loose near the city of Sidon. The storm was of such violence that in his fear Idomeneus made a solemn promise to Neptune, God of the Seas, to sacrifice the first person -no matter who it be- that he would meet on the shore if he and his people would only get there safely.

A milieu drama which boldly and thoroughly examines the social and psychological causes of a severely disturbed father-daughter relationship.