Playing in Germany in the 1960ies the movie narretes the conflict between former German politician Franz-Josef Strauß and Rudolf Augstein, German journalist and founder of 'Der Spiegel' magazine. 1962 the Spiegel Affair was a major political scandal in German escalating when Der Spiegel published an article about the sorry state of Germany's armed forces. Maximus.

In the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the world is threatened by the possibility of a Third World War fought with nuclear arms. Meanwhile, in the Federal Republic of Germany, two charismatic power seekers, Strauß, Secretary of defense, and Augstein, editor-in-chief at high-profile news magazine Der Spiegel, fight a fierce feud: Strauß demands nuclear deterrence to prevent the next war on German ground while Augstein sees any arms race as leading directly to the next warfare catastrophe. In "Die Spiegel-Affäre" contrary political beliefs collide regardless of a shared goal: Never live through another war. It becomes a fight for democracy, morals and ethics in politics as well as the position of the press as the fourth pillar of the state; a fight between two relentless political alpha leaders. The end of the affair marks the end of the Adenauer era and is celebrated as a victory of the freedom of press and the young democracy over the old structures of authority.—Wiedemann & Berg Television