Fleeing Nazi Germany, many Jewish families found that a new life was as difficult as any hardship they had previously known. This German drama, based on a book by Stephanie Zweig, tells of one family's struggle as Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze), his wife Jettel (Juliane Kohler), and their young daughter Regina (Karoline Eckertz) flee Germany for British occupied Nairobi. Walter is hired as the bwana (caretaker) on a ranch, assisted by a native Owuor (Sidede Onyulo). Walter and Jettel's marriage becomes strained under the difficult conditions, and when the British Army assembles all Germans into camps, the couple barely communicate with one another. Jettel has an affair with a British officer that allows the family to be released to tend another farm, earning just enough to send Regina (now played by teenage Lea Kurka) to school. The end of World War II forces the family to make the difficult decision whether to return to their homeland or continue to live in their new African home where they have raised their daughter, learned tolerance, and most importantly, survived. Caroline Link's absorbing drama won five German film awards and was nominated for Oscar for Best Foreign Film.