Berlin, 1942. The inconspicuous, kind and compassionate Hilde with no interest in politics to speak of, gradually finds her place in the resistance group which will come to be known as the “Red Orchestra”. Hilde falls in love with the slightly shy Hans, flourishes and, in spite of the constant danger to her life, is happy for a summer. When the Gestapo arrest members of the group in the autumn, the pregnant Hilde is among their number. In prison, she develops unexpected strength, giving birth to her son and keeping the memory of her beloved husband alive. With her principled moral stand, Hilde becomes the face of all those Germans who refused to embrace the delusional ideology of the Third Reich.
“We tried to create human beings and avoid stepping into the cliches of the Nazis. When we create human beings you can compare with them, and decide ‘Which side would I have been on? Would I have been a kind of opportunist working for the Nazis or would I have joined the Resistance fighters, even if it was dangerous?’ /…/ It would be nice if the audience thought about how they react to things going on in our society right now: this is not just a period movie.” (Andreas Dresen)