As a train passenger, you can usually sit back and relax on the 791 kilometers (492 miles) of track between Munich in the south and Hamburg in the north. Not so on this evening, when a storm brings train services to a standstill and forces many travelers to rethink their plans. Four completely different personalities find themselves sharing a cab...

Pierrot and Dickie have completed their training as spaceship pilots and are now looking forward to new challenges. Soon, the two arrive for their first mission, which is to identify an unknown flying object.

An unknown flying object appears on the radar. Pierre, Pierrette, and Maestro discuss where it might come from and whether it might be hostile.

The representatives of the confederation, chaired by the President, are now to vote on how to deal with the unknown flying object. There is no consensus at all!

The new recruits of the Milky Way security force arrive for training. Pierrette is worried about Fat Nose's threatening behavior. Meanwhile, the UFO enters the ship's observation space. This calls for immediate action!

Now things are getting serious: The crew is getting ready to launch, and the two young pilots are eager to go along for the ride. Will they be able to persuade their fathers to let them?

The crew of Starship Hummingbird are doing everything they can to make contact with the unidentified flying object. Will they be successful?

The first segment introduces us to the main characters who, aboard the train from Munich to East Berlin on August 13, 1961, will face a difficult decision: freedom or home.

August 13, 1961: A fateful message reaches the train bound for East Berlin: The construction of the Wall has begun. The passengers now have three and a half hours to decide—home or freedom?

As the train continues its course towards Berlin, the band of musicians perform a song about yearning for freedom, which contrasts with the security checks of East Germans returning from the West.

As the train makes its way along, a reporter comes to interview Edith Salzmann, a locomotive driver. Through them, we get an impression of the roles and daily life of people in East Germany.

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.