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Easy-going East Berlin Volkspolizist (GDR cop) Martin Kupfer, divorced without custody of his pre-teen daughter, starts an innocent affair with beautician Julia Hausmann, having dutifully arrested her in 1980 for a forbidden Walkman during a speeding drive with her German-American fiance Robert Schnyder, whom she cheats on despite being the perfect in-law for her mother, critical songwriter-club singer Dunja Hausmann. Martin and Julia ignore Dunja enjoys protection as former lover of Martin's father, high-ranking Security Ministry officer Hans Kupfer. Charged by Hans with observing Julia and her American, Martin's more ambitious brother Falk discovers and discretely reports 'disloyal' Martin's suspicious contacts with Julia. Hans finally gets Dunja to confirm Julia is his bastard, Falk plans to have Julia arrested while trying to be smuggled to the West in Robert's 'converted' Mustang but is surprised.

Stasi officer Falk Kupfer is started and furious that Julia wasn't found in American Robert Schnyder's car, as she stayed out of love for his cop brother Martin. Ignoring father Hans's instructions of diplomatic prudence, Falk keeps Robert in appalling conditions, questioning him as 'good cop'. He still won't incriminate Julia until shown pictures made by spying Martin as her lover, but that drives the capitalist to suicide. Falk now questions Julia but Hans intervenes for her at mother Dunja Hausmann's plea, only to find her a rebellious liar. Marti still ignores why his fiancee is so unacceptable in the family.

Martin convinces Julia to move out together, but after he talks over the home assignment clerk to give them a shot against the rules, their application is squashed from the top, which only makes the conflict between Martin and father Hans, who calls his infatuation foolish and immature, deepen into a worrisome family rift. Falk fears for his position after tormented Robert Schnyder's diabetic hospitalization, compromising the party's detente policy, but general Gaucke chooses another scapegoat and even proposes a promotion, against Hans's advice, enabling him to bug Dunja's home, which Hans blames him for bitterly but implicitly. Falk, who disapproves of Martin's affair with Julia even worse then Hans, fearing political/career consequences, gets Martin's Politburo-connected ex Marion to blackmail him with access to their pre-teen daughter Lisa to 'win him back'. Martin and Julia now both consider splitting up for each-other's and their families' sakes. The child-lurer Martin and his cop partner Peter Gorlitz are officially looking out for seems to have got hold of Lisa.

The search for missing Lisa has the Kupfer family bicker but also tie together. Hans and Marlene blame Falk's plot. Martin finds Lisa with a kind man who promised candy but tried nothing, and realizes he's only being charged as former Wall-flight-convict, so a scapegoat while the real pedophile is probably still lurking around. Marion invites Martin for a makeup family dinner, but he tells Lisa he's not returning to her mother ever. Klaus Meigold is arrested attempting to smuggle Dunja's subversive record to the West, Hans wants to recruit him as informer instead. Dunja rejects an offer from Falk, and blames Julia for Meingold's arrest. Julia left Dunja's home, but visiting cop lover Martin can't condone her squatting, yet bitterly leaves home for her over 'professional' family disputes. Hans cues Dunja her home is bugged, yet she won't turn informer. having accidentally spotted husband Hans with Dunja, Marlene confides in Falk about her secretly knowing about his father's affair and asks him to eliminate her rival, who is ordered to be arrested but commits suicide.

Hans Kupfer looses credit with general Gaucke, who promotes neither his candidate nor Falke, after Dunja's failed suicide which drives Julia hysterical, turning even a while on Martin, who incurs a formal warning -to his unconnected partner Peter Görlitz's envy- for refusing an order to raid a harmless party. Falk physically fights Martin, who is surprised to win for the first time, and to find his brother utterly unforgiving, while both feel betrayed by father, who learns his wife knew about Dunja. Falke is instructed to 'find ways' and blackmails a police employee to spy on his kin.

Falk has Dunja interned in psych ward until she signs either transfer of all her decisions to a regime lawyer or becomes his StaSi spy. Dunja gives in, finds he home bugged but informs daughter Julia. Hans prevents Martin being sanctioned for refusing a dubious order, even offers to arrange a lease for the home he squats with Julia, who calls him a coward for failing to oppose the regime with her, warning against her appointment with a West German reporter. Falk's wife Vera loses self-control after a pupil realizes he gets unfairly bad grades on account of his parent's escape attempt, relapses into drunkenness and badly hits a cyclist knave, is given 24h by Martin to report to the police. Martin and Hans are delighted and sort of make up after hearing Julia is pregnant and agree on discretion, but Falk knows from his spy Moni, also about the journalist, and covers up Vera's hit and run, blackmailing Martin. Falk proudly presides in the Kupfer home over a party for his pre-teen son Roman's acceptance -possibly arranged by falk- as gymnast in the prestigious state sports school, inviting general Gaucke, who promised him promotion to lieutenant colonel soon and his father's post as deputy if he helps free its, while Hans counts on his party top protector. Dunja Hausmann comes and sings one of her forbidden political songs, yet Hans refuses, thus bringing his wife to hysteria, to silence his mistress.