It’s the year 1914 in Berlin. Ruth Goldfish is the daughter of the Jewish owner of a small but very special private bank. Ruth has a dream: she wants to become a farmer, grow her own vegetables, eat her own tomatoes. So she marries the handsome but bankrupt son of a noble family, and moves to the countryside. At first, the rundown manor is a disappointment to her, but with enthusiasm and strength, she starts rebuilding the house and refines the ordinary cherries that grow in large plantations into Morello cherries – the best in Germany.

In 1919, her husband dies in an accident and leaves her alone with the house, the land, and a newborn child, Elisabeth. Ruth works hard to get over her loss and makes a fortune. During many summers, her sister Kaethe comes to visit with a group of German artists, most of which are later defamed as degenerates. Ruth spends her time educating her daughter, working hard, and buying grand pianos as investments for a rainy day. The years go by. Ruth has built her own world. She has a good relationship with the villagers, most of them depend on her financially anyway, and so she survives the Third Reich hidden on her own land. Her dream saves her life.