Eden

In 1929 Dr. Friedrich Ritter and Dore Strauch flee Germany to escape bourgeois values. They seek isolation on Floreana so Friedrich can write a manifesto and Dore can pursue meditation as a cure for her multiple sclerosis. Their idealistic retreat marks the start of a fragile experiment in shared philosophy and survival.

Friedrich and Dore reach Floreana and settle into a chosen solitude. Friedrich dedicates himself to writing the manifesto while Dore remains focused on meditation to manage her illness. Their presence disrupts the local expectations as they begin to settle into island life.

Margret and Heinz Wittmer arrive with their young son and quickly prove to be earnest, capable settlers. The Wittmers establish a functional home and begin building a life on the island alongside the two Germans. The newcomers’ pragmatism contrasts with Friedrich and Dore’s ascetic ideals.

Margret discovers she is pregnant, signaling the beginning of a new generation on the island. The baby’s impending arrival tests the group’s dynamics and foreshadows the pressures of scarcity and survival. The Wittmers’ family life becomes a central thread in the unfolding drama.

Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn arrives, flanked by two lovers and Manuel, and proposes a plan to build a lavish resort on Floreana. She immediately proves a disruptive force, rivaling Friedrich and Dore’s ideals with her opulent ambitions. The group’s already limited resources are strained by her self-serving goals.

Eloise spends much of her time lounging, drinking, and engaging in affairs with Robert and Rudolph. Her presence and demands sap the settlers’ food supplies and create tension as the group struggles to plan and provision themselves. The encampment grows as her influence and appetite for luxury expand.

While Margret goes into labor, she is forced to fend off feral dogs. Manuel and Robert raid the Wittmer home for canned goods at Eloise’s instruction, highlighting the collapse of trust and the scramble for food. The birth marks a grim turning point as scarcity heightens tensions.

Eloise hosts a lavish luncheon to celebrate the newborn Wittmer son, serving the stolen provisions and openly insulting Heinz and Dore. Friedrich and Dore try to leave the quarrel, but Eloise pulls a pistol and flaunts a grant of land from Ecuador. The moments crystallize Eloise’s dominance and the vulnerability of the settlers.

American industrialist Allan Hancock visits Floreana and records the settlers for a documentary. Eloise attempts to charm him for Hollywood connections but fails, underlining the gap between her grand plans and the islanders’ reality. The encounter brings brief international attention to their isolation.

Rudolph grows to despise Eloise, yet she manipulates him into tricking Heinz into accidentally shooting Dore's beloved donkey. Friedrich and Heinz sense Eloise’s manipulation and align with Rudolph and the Wittmers. Tensions erupt into a cycle of betrayal, fear, and violence.

A fight erupts as the truth of Eloise’s manipulation comes to light. Heinz stabs Robert to death, and Friedrich kills Eloise with a rifle. The bodies are disposed of in the ocean as the group fabricates a story that Eloise and Robert departed for Tahiti. Suspicion shadows Friedrich’s tale.

Dore’s condition worsens, and she grows resentful of Friedrich’s betrayal of their values. Margret warns Dore about contaminated meat after a gift of extra chickens, and Dore prepares a meal for Friedrich, who dies in agony, cursing her in his final breath. The moral collapse of their experiment becomes undeniable.

Ecuadorian authorities arrive to investigate after Friedrich’s letters attempt to frame Heinz for Eloise and Robert’s disappearances. Margret defends Heinz, while Dore leaves the island with the Ecuadorians to begin a new life elsewhere. The island’s fragile order dissipates as external authorities take control.

Intertitles reveal Dore’s return to Germany and her 1943 death, followed by Margret’s own conflicting accounts of the events. Rudolph dies offshore in a storm while attempting to escape. The Wittmers remain on Floreana, and Margret’s descendants eventually run a small hotel for travelers on the island.