After fifteen years Jochen Epstein is released from jail, where he has been because of a murder he commited in 1985.
He and the brothers Karl and Adam Rose shared a common past, which cannot be forgotten, as the three of them survived as Jews the horrors of Birkenau, whereas all the people around them died, among them their families and eventually also Epstein's love Hannah.
In 1985 they decided to celebrate Christmas as the Christians do it and Paula, Adam's maid, agrees to help them, if they would take her daughtr Katharina to church in Berlin-Spandau, where she sings in the choir. As Epstein and Karl enter te church they are shocked, as they recognize the former "SS-Hauptsturmführer" Giesser in the priest, who calls himself Groll now. The whole evening the brothers Rose try to behave theirselves, but Epstein gets drunk. The next morning Karl is excited, because Adam has left with the gun and Epstein and Karl hurry to come to the church, where Adam already threatens Groll. They interfere and start a discussion. It gets obvious, what Epstein did to save his friends in Birkenau and at last Groll's true identity is revealed.In the end Epstein shoots the priest.
Now, 15 years after this murder, Epstein still cannot forget the past, although also the brothers Rose have died, but he suddenly meets Hannah, whom he had thought of as being dead.