Lore

The family packs in a rush as a Nazi officer father returns and the war closes in. They flee from their stately home, killing the family dog, and seek refuge in a secluded cabin in the Black Forest. Lore's mother wraps a porcelain deer figurine to take along, while the others prepare for a dangerous journey ahead.

Günther's departure is uncertain; Lore's mother heads to a camp after news of Hitler's death, leaving Lore in charge with instructions to reach Omi's house in Husum. The family tears themselves away from a peaceful interior to a dangerous road, as trains stop running and food runs scarce. They set out on foot with few possessions.

With trains halted, the siblings abandon all belongings and begin a grueling trek on foot. They cross rural landscapes, growing more exhausted as supplies dwindle and fear grows in silence. The journey marks their first test of survival without adult protection.

The children arrive at a ruined house and Lore discovers the corpse of a woman. She also encounters a sleeping young man who will become a recurring, troubling presence. The encounter signals the collapse of safety and the start of a desperate scavenger path.

In a nearby village, the children seek shelter and Lore pays a woman to breast-feed her baby brother Peter. Later, they encounter the same young man again as photos of Nazi atrocities are posted in the village square. Lore studies the images and recognizes her father among the uniformed officers.

The troupe spends the night in a school where the young man makes an unwanted sexual advance on Lore, who rebuffs him. He later follows them as they continue their journey, hinting at danger and manipulation from a person close to them.

At a farm, Lore exchanges her mother's gold ring and a gold bracelet for food. She also discovers a dead man who shot himself and steals his watch, while an old woman pleads that they abandon the baby for the family's survival. Lore refuses, determined to keep the sibling group together.

The same young man reappears, now calling himself 'Thomas' and presenting fake papers that claim he is Lore's brother. A truck with American soldiers stops them, and Thomas shows his 'papers' to gain passage, earning them a ride toward safety. Lore grows wary but depends on his survival instincts.

Lore falls ill, and Thomas tends to her and the others with food and care. While bathing, Liesel questions Lore about Thomas, and Lore's ambivalence about him becomes more evident as she moves closer to him in a dangerous, fragile way.

In the forest, Lore buries photographs of her father and his concentration-camp picture. When a river blocks their path, Thomas offers to help Peter cross and Lore seeks assistance from a boatman who is not interested. Lore allows the man to assault her to distract him while Thomas kills him. They use the boat and cross, but Lore is left shaken by the act.

As they approach the Soviet sector, the group contends with a tense plan to cross into the British sector at night. Günther is shot by Soviet soldiers, and Thomas threatens to leave them behind if they slow their progress. Lore's trust in Thomas fractures after she labels him 'a filthy Jew' during their argument, but he stays with them.

The siblings finally reach Omi's house in Husum near Hamburg. Oma feeds them and admonishes them not to be ashamed of their parents. Lore places her mother's porcelain deer on the dresser, a symbol of memory and loss, and struggles to adjust to civilian life. The family tensions erupt as Lore smashes the deer figurines in anger.