During an unannounced visit to Berlin, Jakob and Hanna let their three grown up children know that they are no longer able to support them financially. Karla, Arnolt and Sonni seem to live successful city lives; but, on closer inspection, they are in the middle of different life-crises, which have a common cause: lack of independence. After a big family quarrel and a painful revelation of life-lies, every single relative is made aware of how little he or she knows about the others – though still interdependent.

Germany, 1920. First World War is lost. The peace treaty of Versailles obliges Germany to reduce its army, the "Reichswehr" to 100,000 soldiers. Influencal groups of economists and military leaders connect in the "Nationalen Vereinigung" a national convention to plan the coup d'etat. Among them the chief of landscaping and member of the board of directors of the German Bank, Wolfgang Kapp and the highest ranked commanding General Walther, Freiherr von Lüttwitz. General Ludendorf, who used to be the chief of the Supreme Army Command during the World War, pulls the strings in he background by his middlemen Pabst and Colonel Bauer. When the government wanted to dissolve the "Brigade Ehrhardt", the most powerful Freikorps, General Lüttwitz disobeys this order and orders the troupes to march against the government in Berlin. The Government has to flee, first to Dresden, then to Stuttgart. Large parts of the army follow the putschists, who however, are not united themselves. First victim is Secretary of Finances Erzberger.

2009 film by Thomas Stuber