In 1944 Barbara von Ganski marries the physicist Alexander Reichenbach at an East German manor. As sign of his love, Alexander endows Barbara an amulet with ambers. After a controversy with Barbara’s conservative father, Alexander, who does not agree with the regime, gets banished from the manor. Barbara follows him to Berlin, but after an heavy air raid they return to the manor. Elisabeth, the daughter of the baron, who was kept in the dark, is now eclipsed again. When Alexander gets to know that he is half a jew, he volunteers for a mission at the front as soldier for escaping the homicide by the German Nazis. After the occupation of the manor by Russian troops, Barbara falls in love with the Russian officer Belajew, with whom she wants to leave her home. Suddenly, a discharged prisoner of war appears, who tells her that Alexander gets discharged soon, too. Therefore she stays at the parental manor without Belajew. Barbara’s grieved and vengeful half sister Elisabeth, who is in the meantime risen in rank in the socialistic republic, makes sure that Barbara has to vacate the manor. As Alexander returns from the imprisonment, he accepts the little son Konstantin without knowing that he is not his father. Later Barbara has two more babies with Alexander, who gets a respectable job as physicist with Elisabeth’ help, but following is judged as a spy for West Germany. Now Barbara has to beg her ex-lover Belajew for help.