Götz George plays Franz Lang, born in 1900, who undergoes a transformation from war hero to Nazi sympathizer and concentration camp commander at Auschwitz. He initially struggles with feelings of guilt and disillusionment after witnessing comrades' deaths during World War I, but eventually becomes deeply entrenched in nationalist circles and joins the SA and NSDAP, participating in acts of violence against perceived enemies of the state. Lang's rise to power is marked by his involvement in the Ruhr Uprising and later as a commander at Auschwitz, where he implements the brutal policies of the Nazi regime.