This documentary on the life of German Expressionist artist Ernst Barlach (1870-1938) weaves together excerpts of his writings into a biographical overview with extensive images of his drawings, paintings and sculptures. Narrated in English.

German novelist Hans Fallada lives with his family in a small, remote town. His craving for peace and harmony collides with his own inner turmoil and the growing power of the Nazis.

In the late 1950s, Sebastian Fußberg (Franciszek Pieczka) travels through the country performing traditional puppet shows. Although the old man is a dreamer and idealist at heart, he cannot come to terms with the shadows of his past in a concentration camp.

Germany, 1934: Hella Lindau and her fiancé Hermann Reimers are members of an anti-Nazi resistance group. When they are betrayed, Hella takes the blame and is sentenced to ten years in prison for high treason.

May 8, 1945: WWII is over. Dresden is in ruins. But where are the 2200 paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens, Giorgione, and Vermeer van Delft from the Old Masters Picture Gallery?

Part 1: Target Peenemünde — In 1939, antifascist scientist Dr. Kummerow alerts the British consulate to a top-secret Nazi missile program in Peenemünde.

Three brief documentary segments report on both positive and strained political relationships between the GDR and several Western countries.

1. A committee on the political recognition of the GDR meets in Denmark.

Documentary footage celebrates the anniversary of the GDR's nationally owned cinematographic institutions with examples of their artistic and political significance.

Examples of East German involvement in international political bodies are shown in three brief documentary segments.

This biography of Karl Dönitz begins with his birth in 1891, details his youth in Berlin, his career in the military, and his advancement within the Nazi Party, leading to his conviction in the Nürnberg trials and his death in 1980.