Told in the style of the German cabaret theatre, where both Gunther Neumann and Gert Frobe were important members, this is a balladeer's version of a serious plot with musical interludes. The year is 2050 and the audience is asked to look at a telecast of 'The Ancients", from a century ago. Flashback to Germany, 1948, where Otto Normalverbraucher (Otto Averageman in the English-narrated version) is just returning from service in the German army during World War II. His experiences, told tongue-in-cheek, of the troubles that beset the average, law-abiding German citizen in post-war, war-torn destitute Germany and his awareness of the changes and problems are the bulk of the story.