In this five-part miniseries, Rainer Werner Fassbinder paints a melodramatic portrait of working-class life in 1970s divided Germany, a nation beginning to rise from the ruins of World War II. Although it began as a simple commission, it has since blossomed into one of the German director's most brilliant and genuine contributions to television. The life of Jochen, a young tool factory worker, is completely transformed when he begins a relationship with Marion, an office worker with whom he has fallen deeply in love.