A story about a family after the Second World War. The petty bourgeois cashier Karl Weber of Berlin observes from a distance how his son Ernst participates in the building of a new socialist society. Karl does not understand Ernst's visions, instead he confides in his other son Harry. However, Harry becomes involved in illicit business and Karl quickly realizes that it would be best to join his son Ernst in the citizen-owned factory.
Mother Wolffen, a washerwoman, is a woman of principle: A poor man must do what he must to get through life, only he mustn't get caught doing it. All sorts of crooked deals contribute to the improvement of the daily menu and the increase of household funds. When everyone is searching for pensioner Krueger's missing beaverskin coat, Mother Wolffen and her family are calmly enjoying fresh roast venison.
Na Viena do início do século 20, o tenente de cavalaria Fritz Lobheimer está prestes a terminar seu caso com a baronesa Eggerdorff quando conhece e se apaixona pela jovem Christine, filha de um violinista da ópera. Porém, quando o barão descobre a traição que sofreu, ele desafia Fritz para um duelo.
