Germany, 1945. Soldier Willi Herold, a deserter of the German army, stumbles into a uniform of Nazi captain abandoned during the last and desperate weeks of the Third Reich. Newly emboldened by the allure of a suit that he has stolen only to stay warm, Willi discovers that many Germans will follow the leader, whoever he is.

1938. While the Nazi troops march into Vienna, the lawyer Josef Bartok hastily tries to escape to the USA with his wife but is arrested by the Gestapo. Bartok remains steadfast and refuses to cooperate with the Gestapo that requires confidential information from him. Thrown into solitary confinement, Bartok is psychologically tormented for months and begins to weaken. However, when he steals an old book about chess it sets him on course to overcome the mental suffering inflicted upon him, until it becomes a dangerous obsession.

Helgoland. Here, on Germany's only offshore island, a small community of survivors of an apocalypse that has overrun the rest of the world and plunged it into chaos is holed up. But the price of their survival is high. The resources on the rocky island are scarce, so that an inhumane "social ranking" system determines the lives of the 513 inhabitants: each islander is evaluated according to his usefulness. The only doctor is high on the list, others are far behind, and they have to fight for their place on the list and their survival. Meanwhile, people from the mainland are trying to get to Helgoland and the Helgolanders have to defend their island.

Rome in 65 AD, Emperor Nero's tyrannical regime has reached its zenith, Nero's self-indulgence and excessiveness brings up the opposition against him, conspiracies threaten his power. By all means Nero tries to defend his despotic claim of sovereignty. The famous philosopher Seneca has been Nero's teacher, mentor and close advisor since childhood, he is significantly involved in his ascent. Nevertheless, Nero gets weary of Seneca and Nero uses a foiled attack on his life to falsely accuse Seneca of being an accomplice.

Mitten in Berlin verborgen, betreiben die Ex-Spione Simon und Meret das Safe House "Das Nest". Als sie eine begraben geglaubte Bedrohung wieder einholt, müssen sie sich plötzlich vor Auftragskillern, russischen Agenten, dem BND, Ex-Lovern und einer Menge Leuten, denen sie Unrecht getan haben, verstecken – und nebenbei versuchen, ihre Ehe intakt zu halten.

Thirteen European directors explore the theme of Sarajevo; what this city has represented in European history over the past hundred years, and what Sarajevo stands for today in Europe. These eminent filmmakers of different generations and origins offer exceptional singular styles and visions.