As Governing Mayor of West Berlin, as Foreign Minister of a grand coalition, as Chancellor of the Bonn Republic and as SPD Chairman for many years, Willy Brandt played a decisive role in shaping German and European post-war history. He helped shape German society in the 1960s and 1970s and gave political life a new direction. The documentary shows important stages of his life and gives him himself - in archive footage - as well as many friends and political companions a chance to have their say.