Lukas and Adam are best friends and roommates on the Hamburger Kiez. Lukas, single-minded, clever and creative, is well on the way to making a career in an advertising agency. Adam, a charming hothead, tries in vain to gain a foothold in the Hamburg film industry. He still holds on to their shared childhood dream, one day to found a film production with Lukas. Lukas, on the other hand, prefers to avoid professional collaboration with his chaotic friend.
After aspiring poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe fails his law exams, he's sent to a sleepy provincial court to reform. Instead, he falls for Lotte, a young woman who is promised to another man.
A 14-year-old orphan named Krabat flees the horrors of the 30 Years War by becoming an apprentice to an ominous master of a mysterious mill. Krabat is not only taught the craft of milling, but is also instructed in the sinister world of the darker arts. When the life of his friend and protector is threatened, Krabat must struggle to free himself from an evil sorcerer's control in a gripping fight for freedom, friendship and love.