In 1945 German-Polish brother and sister, Erich and Magda Laube, flee across the snow-covered Silesian Plains to escape the Russian invasion of Warsaw. Years later, as a rookie reporter in Berlin, Erich is still haunted by his wartime memories, especially when he learns what happened to his mother after he and his sister became separated from her at a transit camp near Poznan.
Erich's restless nature leads him to carry out dangerous missions in a bid to help friends trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Then love enters his life. He tries to keep the truth about his hazardous lifestyle from his American wife but a near-death incident on a farm in East Germany convinces him to accede to her wishes and move to the States for a more settled life. But Erich's plans are wrecked by unforeseen circumstances.