The mechanic Behnke wants to join the Nazi party to secure a good living. However, after his Jewish neighbors have been taken away, he changes his views. 　　from IMDB user comment: 　　Wolfgang Staudte fervently condemned the disinterested bourgeois who is not at all committed and hesitantly validates his standpoint. Rotation shows the dangers such an unbiased civilian is to compelled to confront.The film concentrates much on the past as key events are shown in a flashback.It showed how high unemployment in Germany resulted in Hitler's rise to power.Staudte has astutely shown a distressed Germany in which young Germans were trained by Nazis and everyone was taught to obey Hitler.Behnke recalls effectively all the difficult times he had to endure.He is happy to have a kid but can hardly imagine that his own child would betray him.Behnke was yearning for a serene Germany where his family would flourish.His generosity of spirit is revealed as he accepts his son without any feeling of hatred.After the war,Behnke family witnesses a sign of reconciliation as the father pardons his guilt-ridden son.