This tragic love story relates ten decisive years (1796 - 1806) in the life of the great German poet Friedrich Hölderlin—played by Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others). In order to support himself, Hölderlin takes a job as the live-in tutor to the four children of the wealthy Frankfurt bank
Because he lives in a small town with the lowest crime rate in East Germany, Investigator Holms (played by comedian Rolf Herricht) is stuck looking for a stolen pet rabbit even as he dreams of cracking a big case. Caught between his fantasies and his dull reality, Holms begins to suspects he is h
Ever since his brother became the local hangman, Christoph and his family are looked down upon in their village.
Hans earns a lump of gold for his services, which he trades in order to have a horse to ride. He continues trading one thing for another, each time believing he has the better end of the deal.
Puppeteer and mechanic Hans Röckle makes a bargain with the devil, who gives Röckle magical powers that let him create the most wonderful objects: a needle that sews by itself, a flute that brings the wind and rain, and a telescope that lets one to see into the future.
The farmer wishes for a son, even if it is only a male hedgehog. His wish gets fulfilled! But he is afraid to get mocked by the villagers and hides Hans, his son. When Hans sees the king in danger, he saves him.
Hatifa has escaped from a slave camp in a quarry. The wise Simsal and his servant Hodya find her exhausted in the desert. Simsal cares for her like a father, and Hodya, who is the same age as Hatifa, becomes her best friend.
Ten-year-old Jessi has found a warm stone on the beach that glows and can even talk. It explains that it is the heart of Pirate William Red and it proceeds to tell her his story. Jessi's friends just laugh at the magic stone and act like she’s crazy.
Heiner takes good care of his three little roosters and gives them fresh sand every day. One day, he goes to the beach to get some sand. When he sees a plover, he races with him and forgets about his roosters.
Heinrich the deer arrives at the zoo. The children enthusiastically welcome him and soon they all become friends. When winter arrives, the children don't come to visit Heinrich anymore. He doesn't know that they are just busy with their Christmas preparations and goes to search for them.