The Orient Express, on its night trip from Munich to Venice, is full because of the beginning of the carnival in Venice. Between the passengers are a young writer, an actress, and her daughter, an elderly dancer, five neo-nazi punks, and a strange man that seems to have some kind of influence over them through their dreams.
Within the span of 48 hours "contemporaries" encounter each other. In the middle is Max, who lost his job years ago because of his affair with the wife of an influential man. The story of an encounter which turns out badly because the people involved can't quite communicate.
The young Count Ettingen leads a dissolute life in Munich with the demanding Baroness Prankha at his side. To finance his life, he has his uncle cut down the forests in his estate without caring about the consequences. When he catches his girlfriend having an affair, however, he retreats to the mountains. From the young alpine dairymaid Lore he learns about another side of life and wants to stop the overexploitation of the forest. But the baroness still wants his money.
An anti-war black comedy set during the Thirty Years' War. It follows ploughman Petr, recruiter Matěj and country girl Lenka who get caught up in both sides of the war and experience many adventures before they find happiness. The film combines live action with animation to suggest the artistic style of the engraver Matthäus Merian.