The series starts before WW 1 and chronicles a Swabian family in Stuttgart. A tailor rises from humble origins to a certain wealth only to lose his only son during the war and his wealth during the inflation period (1923). Nazi era and bombing raids, arrival of the French and US troops in Stuttgart, the hunger years of 1946/47 and the "Wirtschaftswunder" (economic miracle) of West Germany are demonstrated by the fate of various family members. A certain comical side is provided by the characters played by Willy Reichert, although the script writers had difficulties to keep the old man in the series.
