Wolfgang Roeder

Rotary machines spew out extra sheets. Cars pile up, people run together. Everything has one goal: the rocket launch site. The first manned moon rocket is to be launched, marking the conquest of the moon by the USA. The sensational program about the launch rolls on, commented on by an incessantly chattering reporter. There is an embarrassing accident at the control desk: the generals from the Air Force and the Navy cannot agree on who should carry out the launch. The rocket finally lifts off, but only the upper part flies away. Nevertheless, the reporter agrees with the stunned spectators that the operation was successful and has cleared the way to the American moon. The rocket lands on target. The crew confidently disembarks. The sensation of the century is perfect. However, the horror of the visitors to the moon is great when they realize that a Soviet expedition has already begun exploring the moon without much ado.

It was supposed to be a cozy Christmas evening with the family. Labor Director Walter Lörke was particularly looking forward to it. But then his daughter Anne surprised him with her future son-in-law Thomas Ostermann. And that's not all: Lörke is to become a grandfather. This doesn't suit him at all, especially as the young man clearly shows his critical attitude towards the state whose ideals Lörke has fought for all his life. An argument ensues - on Christmas Eve. Lörke leaves the apartment in a rage. But he is driven by unrest: He wants to know what kind of person his future son-in-law is and why he has such a negative attitude towards the state. It turns out that Thomas has had bitter experiences with the opportunistic attitudes of many adults and that, although he was the best student in his class, he was not admitted to university because of his critical opinions.

This year, the annual bike race will pass the highrise where little Max and Tüte live. It is a very hot day and the two boys try to come up with an idea to refresh the bikers. They finagle a huge water sprayer and all their neighbors get involved. But right at the crucial moment, a cat causes a huge accident and the would-be winner in the yellow jersey gets the worst of it.

Strange, rhymed advertisements in the newspaper unsettle three London gangsters - and rightly so, because soon the first of them are killed. The mysterious killer also catches a shady lawyer. Higgins and Lane find out that the key to the crimes is an unsolved diamond heist.

After their successful May party, now the Lehmann family want to throw a New Year's Eve part with punch. Wilhelm's sons Franz and Paul are brigade leaders at a chemical factory. One of their brigades consists largely of fanatics of high culture, while the other consists of sports fanatics. But the rival brigades must work together in order to throw a successful New Year's Eve party for the factory, since the occasion requires both elements: sports and culture.