The Third Generation 1979

Lurz reports sales trouble and reveals a hidden plan

In his Berlin high-rise office, P.J. Lurz tells his American headquarters that their security computer systems struggle to win contracts with the Bonn government. He publicly cites sales difficulties but quietly reveals a secret plan to boost sales through a covert operation. The outline hints at using political leverage to create demand for the company’s products.

Susanne receives the code phrase and signals the cell

Susanne, Lurz's secretary, receives a phone call delivering the phrase 'The world as will and idea,' a key code among their circle. The phrase prompts her to mobilize the terrorist cell and arrange an upcoming meeting. She sets the covert plot in motion with this signal.

Susanne and Gerhard's hotel liaison

While en route home, Susanne and Gerhard stop at a hotel and become physically intimate, revealing their secret sado-masochistic affair to the audience. The hotel encounter foreshadows the personal entanglements behind the political plots. Place: Hotel along the route to their home.

The Gast family dinner with ominous undercurrents

The Gast family gathers for dinner, including Susanne's husband Edgar and Grandpa who notes that every generation needs a war. The meal juxtaposes domestic life with the looming violence of the conspirators. Place: Gast family home.

Terrorists converge at Rudolf's apartment

The terrorist group assembles at Rudolf's large apartment, where August is irritated by Ilse Hoffman, a drug-addicted roommate who poses a threat to their secrecy. The tension hints at internal fractures and rising paranoia. Place: Rudolf's apartment.

Paul arrives and begins a volatile bond with Hilde

Paul arrives from Africa and is assigned to live with Hilde Krieger; he rapes her, and by the next day they have formed a couple. The dangerous shift in allegiance deepens the group's dynamics and foreshadows later betrayals. Place: Rudolf's apartment / Hilde's residence.

August's double agent status with Lurz

August Brem is revealed as the group's leader who is secretly a double agent, maintaining contact with Lurz to funnel money to the terrorists. The double game intensifies distrust and spycraft within the circle. Place: Unknown

The identity heist plan is set in motion

August distributes paper squares to the group, some marked and some not, assigning Petra, Rudolf, and Hilde to break into an office at night to steal new identities. The operation’s stakes rise as the team prepares their disguises and alibis. Place: Rudolf's apartment.

Ilse's overdose and the group's setback

Franz discovers Ilse dead from a drug overdose, a shocking blow that heightens fear and suspicion among the conspirators. The death undercuts their control and fuels paranoia about who is betraying whom. Place: Rudolf's apartment.

Paul is killed by the police; Edgar witnesses

In a restaurant, Paul is gunned down by authorities, and Edgar witnesses the scene, recognizing his own father, Officer Gast, among the officers. The event cracks the group's confidence and intensifies their fear of discovery. Place: Restaurant.

Petra's bank robbery and murder of Hans

To fund their activities, Petra and others rob the bank where Hans works, and they escape by changing their looks and names. During the escape, Petra shoots and kills her husband Hans, deepening the personal costs of their political crimes. Place: Bank / streets.

Bernhard's covert investigation and Lurz's money transfer

Bernhard is interrogated by Officer Gast about their whereabouts but secretly follows August, witnessing Lurz transfer money to August to finance the operation. The discovery deepens the sense of a traitor in their ranks. Place: Various locations

August orchestrates Franz's and Petra's fates

After Paul's death, August manipulates the group's suspicions by making them believe Franz is the traitor. He directs Franz to Ilse's grave and then alerts the authorities, leading to Franz's death. The maneuver demonstrates August's ruthless control over events. Place: Ilse's grave vicinity