In an act of friendship and solidarity between two mining towns in 1929, the locals of Kriwoj Rog, Russia, give their flag as a gift to the locals of Bergstedt, Germany. This quickly takes on a symbolic meaning for the miners in Bergstedt as the Nazi party demands that this Soviet gesture be erased and the flag be replaced with their own. The miner and communist party functionary Otto Brosowski (Erwin Geschonneck) publicly declares it his duty to defend this flag against every danger, and he keeps his promise despite his family being threatened by torment and torture.
as Otto Brosowski Senior
as Minna Brosowski
as Bürgermeister Zonkel
as Rüdiger
as Elfriede
as Jule Hammer
as Bode
as Walter mit 12 Jahren
as Walter
as Frau Bienert
as Mellendorf
as Pfarrer
as Direktor Niedermeyer
as Bubi von Alvensleben
as Küster
as Lehrer Peters
as Bienert
as Fahrsteiger Bartel
as Spitzel
as Leutnant Stone
as Stadtkommandant Wright
as Amerikanischer Offizier
as Dolmetscher
as Genosse mit Fahrrad
as Vertreter der polnischen Zwangsarbeiter
as Junger Arbeiter