Sat, Sep 24, 1994
The Fallers are a Black Forest farming family. Three generations are living on the farm which is in financial difficulties. Hermann is heavily involved in local politics and it is his son Karl who looks after the farm. And the other son, Bernhard, a currently unemployed biologist, moves into the family home along with Monique who is about to give birth to their child any day.
Sat, Oct 1, 1994
Maria returns to the Faller farm on Johanna's invitation and looks after Monique and her baby boy. Then she has an accident. Hermann visits daughter Kati and asks her to be godmother to the baby. Meanwhile Hermann's younger brother Franz, bank manager in the near town and owner of the family sawmill, refuses to extend Hermann's loans, hoping to force his brother to sell the family farm.
Sat, Oct 29, 1994
Monique helps out with the farm work while Bernhard is listlessly working on his thesis. Maria complains about increasing pain in her leg, but her doctor is more interested in one of the nurses than in the condition of his elderly patient. Elsewhere, there is a mutual feeling of attraction between Kati and Dr. Rudolf.
Sat, Nov 5, 1994
Maria is having a bad night in hospital with the pain in her leg. Eventually another patient organizes a morphine injection for her. With disastrous effects. At home with the Fallers, Hermann is trying to promote his guest rooms for holiday makers, without much support from his son Karl, and in the village there is much gossip about the financial situation of the Fallers.
Sat, Nov 12, 1994
Kati comes into the hospital for work and finds Maria is in intensive care. Dr. Rudolf tries to find out what exactly has happened in the hospital during the night that led to the deterioration of the old woman's condition. When Wilhelm Faller hears that Maria is being kept alive by machines, he declares that he wants to die at home when his time comes.
Sat, Nov 19, 1994
At Maria's funeral, her relations are keeping their distance from the Faller family. While the mourners are assembled in the local inn and Wilhelm Faller is reading the eulogy, Maria's family are already on the way to her home to divide her possessions among them. In the hospital, Dr Marquard and nurse Gabi are under pressure.
Sat, Nov 26, 1994
Bernhard and Monique quarrel when Bernhard loses his job at the university. Wilhelm goes to Franz to ask for another loan, but Franz refuses, even calls in outstanding loans with the intention to ruin the family. Kati learns that Dr Marquard used his connections and was acquitted of any misconduct in the treatment of patient Maria.
Sat, Dec 10, 1994
Monique is annoyed that she is left to look after the baby on her own while Bernhard is out and about in town. Then one day Bernhard and his father look after the child while the women of the house are out shopping, and the baby falls off a table. They rush it to hospital immediately. Franz Faller is putting further pressure on Hermann to repay his loans.
Sat, Dec 17, 1994
A Swedish businessman sees Hermann's land and invites him to Sweden for talks. Karl's old friend Lisa returns from Frankfurt to help out her sick father on his farm and asks Karl for help, and Kati has problems with daughter Eva. When she slaps her, Eva grabs her things and takes a bus to go to her grandparents' on the farm.
Sat, Dec 24, 1994
Christmas Eve is hectic for the Fallers: Johanna is plucking the goose, Karl comes in from the forest with a particularly miserly tree for the house, Kati only drops off presents before she's off to the hospital where she is on duty for the night. On top of that there is a family of paying guests staying in the farmhouse over the holidays. Then Hermann returns from Sweden with important news. Wilhelm is furious.