Loveable loser Michael Hartung inadvertently becomes a hero. He enjoys his unaccustomed fame until love comes into play and he is forced to make a decision. A fast-paced, touching, and immensely enjoyable story about a small lie that spirals out of control.
In September 2019, a journalist visits Michael Hartung. He is researching a spectacular mass escape from East Germany in the 80s, in which 127 people made their way to the West via train. The journalist has come across secret service files showing that Hartung allegedly engineered the escape. Hartung knows that this is a misunderstanding and initially denies the story but, after receiving a decent fee and having a few beers, agrees to confirm it. After all, he’s never been important, never been a hero, and if that’s what the files say …
Soon the media are all over Hartung, they need a hero and such a modest one is just the right fit to win the hearts of the public. The president meets with him, and a book and movie based on his story are in the works. Hartung’s life suddenly feels easy, like a dream. But then he meets Paula, who, as a little girl, was on that train that was diverted to the West. The two fall in love, and Hartung senses that it’s time for him to find a way out of the web of lies – although it might already be too late for that.
