The Russian
During a stormy night of grave political crisis, an expert interpreter suffers a nervous breakdown. Young diplomat Konrad Gelb is recruited to step in and interpret between the two conflicting superpower leaders, who seem to hold the fate of humanity in their hands - an absurd responsibility, which by extension rests on the shoulders of the young interpreter. He must balance the oversized egos in the room and maneuver the world's destiny to either peaceful resolution or total annihilation.
Opa Krippo
The young policeman Joachim Krippo likes to occasionally share his bed with a nice married couple. When he is supposed to be guarding the criminal Engel Potraske during a court appearance, the dangerous Engel manages a spectacular escape, but departs minus a toe! Krippo is subsequently suspended from his duties and put with other police officers under the care of an elderly police psychologist. Krippo's professional set-backs are followed by private ones: his grandad - who was actually being well looked-after in an old people's home - is dropped off at his place because the payments due have not been made. He tries to get his grandad out of the flat by pairing him off with the police psychologist. But, in the critical moment, Krippo lunges for the bait himself. At least, this means that he will be discharged from the psychograph tests as being fit for service again...
1945. Peace still bears the traces of war everywhere. There meet the animated girl Xenia and the former boxer Henry. Being together gives them a sense of opportunity. She wants to break away from the semi-world milieu, he try a comeback in the boxing ring.
Writer
Mostly fictional episodes in the life of famous german social-critical painter Heinrich Zille.
15-year old Klaus Kambor, called Kurbel, is living in a village in Lusatia and already thinks of himself as an adult. He can hold a lot of rhubarb wine and has already kissed a girl. But with his new method of lawn mowing, which he thinks is brilliant, Klaus makes a big mistake: He causes a wild fire in the forest. Then he does not react adult-like at all, but shirks the responsibility, which leads to the break-up with his girlfriend Daniela. Furthermore, Klaus does not realize that several of the places he likes the most in his environment are now going to be sacrificed to mining. When Klaus becomes friends with the teacher Konzak and with the construction worker Jule, he feels understood for the first time and starts to take more responsibility.
