Germany, 1945. The Russian armies are closing in. When Hanno Frisch sees his twin brother killed, he's had enough.

On the run, he meets streetwise Effi. She's on her way to the West to find her father, who's in the US Army.

Effi's learned the hard way that she must keep secrets to herself - and she's even less keen to trust Hanno when she finds out he's a policeman's son.

But there are far more dangerous people on the road: Russian soldiers, German deserters - and Major Otto, who likes to play games with people before he kills them.