Hamburg. World War Two is over. Food is still scarce. So, when hungry Hermann creeps into the kitchen to steal an extra slice of bread at 2.30 a.m., he gets a shock when his wife Martha catches him red-handed.Martha is dismayed because she feels that he has broken their agreement to ration the bread equally between them.This apparently small incident takes on an ever-increasing emotional significance as past, present and future come under close scrutiny.