The news of the Berlin Wall's construction continues to spread throughout the train. Arthur and Andi finally find what they have been looking for all this time.

Elke repairs the radio in the compartment and everyone hears the news: A wall is being built through Berlin and along the state border to seal off the Soviet zone.

In the inter-zone train to East Berlin, people listen to the distressing radio reports. At the same time, we get insight into the lives of other people on this August 13, 1961 - the day when the Berlin Wall is erected and begins to separate its residents from the rest of the world.

The situation comes to a head with debates about idealism and disappointment, values of the East and the West, and freedom and control. As decisions are made, personal relationships begin to falter.