A partly biographical, partly fictitious account of the final ten years (1937-1947) of the life of German author Hans Fallada. His craving for harmony collides with the circumstances of the times and his own inner turmoil. As Fallada falls into a deep depression, replacing his writing with drinking and pills, his wife Anna cares for him and even tolerates her husband's aggression and infidelity. She leaves, however, when Fallada falls in love with Ursula, a young widow and morphine addict. After the end of the Second World War, the Red Army makes Fallada mayor of his town, but his inability to carry out such an unfamiliar position causes him to numb himself further with alcohol and morphine. Shortly before his death, Fallada moves to Berlin, where his friends encourage him to write the novel Jeder stirbt für sich allein.