Berlin 1931: The Germanist and advertising copywriter Jakob Fabian drifts through life. By day he works as a copywriter for a cigarette company, by night he roams Berlin’s underworld bars, brothels and artists’ studios with his fellow student Labude. The carefree life of the two young men is increasingly threatened by a society divided by Communists and National Socialists. One day Fabian meets Cornelia and falls in love with her. His life takes a dramatic turn when he is dismissed, but Cornelia’s career as an actress takes off. Fabian’s doubts about the world are overwhelming, he seeks refuge with his parents in Dresden and there fate takes its course…
Based on Erich Kästner’s novel “Der Gang vor die Hunde”, which is a reconstruction of the original version of the novel “Fabian”.