1919. World War I has just ended. Dörte Helm, a young art student in Weimar, follows Walter Gropius’ call and joins the newly-founded Bauhaus school. A love story grows between Gropius and Dörte, adding fuel to the fire of the ensuing scandal threatening the very existence of the Bauhaus; the school of art that would go on to shape the 20th century like no other…
Things could truly be better for regionally successful entrepreneur Manfred Brenner in the mid-1980s. For Brenner, however, there is no reason to worry, because he is firmly counting on a breakthrough with his newly founded company FlowTex. With innovative horizontal drilling systems, he wants to revolutionize underground pipeline construction. But at first the big success remains elusive. He finally succeeds by relying on drilling systems and orders that don't even exist, piling up loan upon loan and leasing contract upon leasing contract. He uses charm and persuasion, and for a long time no one notices that Brenner is building a fraudulent consortium of companies with just a few helpers and a lot of falsified documents.
When everything in his life seems to be going wrong, downtrodden and alcohol-dependent Karl has a fateful encounter in Munich with Yu, a mysterious Japanese dancer from his father’s past. Unexpectedly, Yu begins to help Karl confront his demons (both literal and figurative) and begin to heal.