Synopsis

Germany, 1944: In the east the war is entering its final phase when the soldier Karlheinz Rombach is given another leave from the front and spends a few carefree hours with his attractive wife Eva. While Eva's father Julius, in contrast to his level-headed wife Magdalena, still believes in victory, Karlheinz is anxious about his return to the Eastern Front. When saying goodbye, he asks his childhood friend Sebastian, who is exempt from military service due to a war injury, to look after Eva and his little son Peter if worse comes to worst. Shortly before the end of the war, Karlheinz was taken prisoner by the Soviets and the letters he wrote home never arrived. The years pass, but Eva firmly believes in the return of her husband. Little does she suspect that Karlheinz was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in a labor camp after a failed attempt to escape. While Eva had a tough time in the post-war years, friends and family kept telling her that it was time to get involved with another man - after all, the boy needs a father too. But it was only when Sven Elsenau, returning from the war, appeared in the summer of 1948 and Eva took the last glimmer of hope for her husband's return, that she gave in to Sebastian's shy solicitation. After years of privation and suffering, Eva feels joy in life again for the first time - when Karlheinz suddenly stands in front of her .