Henry Strauss (Jason Robards) returns to Stuttgart, Germany to confront his past and learn the fate of an old friend. The visit prompts strong memories of a young Hans Strauss (Christien Anholt) meeting Konradin von Lohenburg (Samuel West) and forming a close friendship despite their differences in class, ethnicity, religion, and politics. Strauss strives to reconcile his nostalgic yearning for that friendship with everything torn asunder by the Nazis' rise to power.