Five years have passed since Julia Hausmann was arrested for treason. In that time, she lost her baby at childbirth. Martin was kept out of prison because of his father’s connections. The former policeman has been working as a carpenter in the intervening years, having broken off all contact with his family.

He will never forgive his brother Falk for betraying him and Julia. Falk Kupfer uses Julia’s imprisonment and deteriorating health to exert pressure on her mother Dunja in order to force the latter to work as a Stasi informant. The once feisty Dunja has no choice and bows to the inevitable. Hans Kupfer has, in the meantime, given up all operational duties at the Ministry for State Security and is trying to suppress his feelings for Dunja. Although his wife Marlene knows he doesn’t return her love, she is too weak to separate from her husband. Vera and Falk’s marriage is also on the rocks, and Vera’s mental state is precarious. She no longer shares Falk’s convictions, is scared of him and wants a divorce. Then she receives some terrible news: Roman, their son and a top gymnast, is in the hospital with serious kidney damage. Hans suspects his grandson has fallen victim to ambitious government doping experiments, but Falk trusts the doctors running the program. When Hans shows him the secret file that confirms the doping allegation, Falk is enraged. Roman needs a donor kidney as fast as possible – otherwise he’ll die. Vera is desperate, and can’t believe Falk knew nothing about the PEDs. Since they themselves are unsuitable as organ donors, Falk bites the bullet and calls his brother. Martin reacts furiously: Falk is to blame for the loss of his child, his separation from Julia and her continued imprisonment – and now Falk wants his help? Nevertheless, for his nephew’s sake, he agrees to the operation.

The operation is a success: Martin’s kidney is accepted by Roman’s body. While the Kupfer family celebrate Roman’s recovery, Martin waits longingly to see Julia again.

Falk has promised Martin that Julia will be released shortly. And for once, true to Falk’s word, she is released. When Martin arrives at her door, Julia refuses to let him in. She is completely overwhelmed and traumatized by the years in prison, the loss of her child, the uncertainty and the lies she was told about Martin. But Martin refuses to lose her again. He tries over and over to make contact with Julia. After several attempts, he succeeds in breaking through her emotional armor. Vera and Falk try yet again to save their relationship, and visit a marriage counselor. But when Falk sees the psychologist is reinforcing his wife’s doubts instead of stabilizing their marriage, he threatens the woman. Vera makes the acquaintance of Robert Wolff. When she learns that Robert is a pastor, she panics: as the wife of a Stasi officer, she is forbidden from moving in such circles. Nonetheless, she doesn’t turn down an invitation to a parish event at the Cross Church – home of a group of civil rights activists, led by Wolff and his sister, Nicole. On the dance floor she feels free and alive in a way she hasn’t felt in years. While Robert trusts Vera, mistrust is growing among his parishioners. Activist Frank Luchnik fears that Vera could be an informer. And his reservations are justified because the Ministry for State Security has the church’s peace group under observation.

SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT AHEAD! Julia and Martin attempt to start over and move into a small cottage, which Martin’s friend and former colleague Peter Görlitz has made available to them. Neither of them is yet able to believe their new happiness. They tentatively try to resume their lives together but Julia is unable to get the idea out of her mind that their child is still alive and was taken away from her after birth.

Falk, meanwhile, is aware that Vera is hiding something from him. Finding an environmental journal from the church among Vera’s things, he angrily confronts her about it. Unknown to Falk, a Stasi colleague has turned over photos of Vera at the church event to his superior, Gaucke. In desperation, Falk claims he infiltrated his wife as an informer after she told him that Nicole had made subversive remarks. Unfortunately, he forgot to open an official file for his wife in time. The relationship between Dunja and Julia remains tense and marked by mutual recriminations. Hans wants to help Martin and Julia. He promises to organize building materials for the cottage’s renovation. The once staunch Stasi officer increasingly feels the discrepancy between socialism’s ideals and the Stasi’s methods. Falk, in contrast, has no such doubts. With the help of the marriage guidance counselor, whom he has compelled to follow his lead, he is able to convince Vera that they should adopt a child. This is how Falk intends to save his marriage. And he has already selected the savior: five-year-old Sonja. Julia is obsessed with the thought her child Anna was taken away from her. She seeks information from the doctor who attended the birth, and Falk confronts her and threatens to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital unless she stops her efforts. Julia breaks away from him and makes a run for it. Suddenly a truck turns the corner and slams into her…

Martin arrives at the hospital too late – Julia is already dead. Hans brings Dunja the terrible news: she drowns her sorrows in alcohol. Martin gives a moving eulogy at Julia’s funeral. Hans also attends the funeral, against Falk’s wishes.

When Hans discovers the mourners are being observed by the Stasi, he turns on the agents in fury. After this incident, there is no going back for Hans. He intends to resign. He writes a goodbye letter to his wife Marlene and plans to start over again with Dunja. Falk is enraged at his father’s decision. Threatening Vera by asking if she really wants to ruin her son Roman’s future, Falk forces her to work as a Stasi informer. Vera cannot and does not want to betray her friends, and especially Robert, with whom she is falling in love. Falk, meanwhile, has adopted little Sonja without Vera’s approval. Vera feels ignored and realizes she has no future with Falk. She and Robert become closer. At an unofficial bicycle protest by the church environmental group, Vera and Robert flee from the police and stop by a lake. Back home, Martin soaks the table in gasoline, sets it alight and stares into the mounting flames…

When Hans arrives at the blazing cottage, Martin stumbles outside in shock. Hans insists he can’t give up – he has to find out if his daughter Anna is still alive. To that end, Martin sets off on a feverish quest for the truth.

Martin finds out that a doctor named Hans Schmolke issued the death certificate for Anna. Hans, who has been recalled to his old position at the Ministry for State Security, uses his contacts and locates Dr. Schmolke. He immediately sees the doctor has something to hide. Together with Martin, he plans to discover who Dr. Schmolke’s contact man at the Stasi was. Gaucke continues on his mission to eliminate every enemy of the state without mercy. He demands that Falk finally put an end to the activities of the dissident environmental group centered around the pastor Robert Wolff. Falk in turn pressures Vera, tasking her with spying on the church group, which brings her into a heavy moral conflict. Falk uses Vera’s information and a raid takes place to uncover an illegal printing press at the Cross Church. During the search, Falk surprises his wife and the pastor in a compromising situation.

Following the storming of the Cross Church, Falk has every participant arrested. During the interrogation, Falk shows Vera’s signed declaration of commitment as a Stasi informer to Robert Wolff. The pastor is shocked.

Meanwhile, Hans is convinced that Martin’s daughter Anna is still alive. He bugs Dr. Schmolke’s apartment. A recorded telephone conversation reveals that someone at the Ministry for State Security was involved in Anna’s disappearance. Vera is distraught at having deceived Robert and the other members of the dissident group. She realizes she cannot go on living like this, and makes a final break from Falk. The arrests of the environmental activists have caused unforeseen consequences. Protest actions are taking place across the country, and the West German media is reporting them on all channels. Hans speaks out openly for the prisoners to be released, stepping into open confrontation with his son, who sticks to his hard line. On top of this, Hans discovers that Falk is responsible for swapping Martin’s daughter at birth – and has the tape recording to prove it. He confronts his oldest son with this, and demands that Falk tell him where the child is, or else he will hand the tape over to Martin. Falk has no choice but to agree to this. Shortly after, General Secretary Erich Honecker himself gives the order to release the arrested members of the church environmental group, and Gaucke leaves Falk, as the one responsible for the failed action, to take the consequences. Robert meets Vera in the church, where she confesses everything to him. They embrace. Hans tells Martin that he has discovered where his daughter Anna is – living with a family in Weissensee. Martin goes to the address, and watches her play from a distance.