Paul Bohse

Antwerp at the end of the 16th century. For the second time, the city falls into the hands of the plundering and murdering Spaniards. Jan and Myga are just ten years old. While Myga's father tries to come to terms with the Spaniards, Jan leaves the occupied country with his father. When Jan has grown into a young man, he joins the Geusen and is entrusted with the best ship as helmsman, the "Black Galley". He survives numerous battles and dangers, but one day he is captured by the Spanish. He frees not only himself but also his beloved Myga from the hands of the enemy. In 1609, the Spaniards are forced to finally recognize the independence of the northern provinces.

Felix Winterberg is the great-great-grandson of the famous Albert Einstein and himself a recognized physics genius. Because of a deadly hereditary disease, the brilliant researcher only has a few years left - which he wants to make as labor-intensive as possible thanks to various illegal stimulants.

At Phoenixsee, an artificial lake in the southern part of Dortmunds, two worlds collide between modern apartments for the rich while the old-established working class is living just a few blocks away. The newly-rich Hansmann family just moved here from Düsseldorf while the Neuraths have been living in Dortmund for their whole life. As their children are attending the same school and play in the same soccer team, the families and their problems become entangled.