Franz Horst is mad. Mad about the oppression and atrocities committed first by the Germans, and later by occupying Russian troops and the KGB. He uses his special linguistic talents to smuggle valuable goods into the Iron Curtain countries. The spoils earned in this lucrative trade help him smuggle friends and family members out to the West. At the same time, he exerts revenge on those who would abuse others. A loner by nature, he is forced to rely heavily on friends, strangers, and the hated enemy in an attempt just to survive.