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Anton (Ulrich Thein) is a charming con-man, or at the very least a skilled mechanic with a very flexible attitude about the law. After the Second World War, he sets himself up in business in East Germany, transforming old worn-out junk machines into beautifully functioning automobiles, tractors and trucks. He becomes well-known and respected, but is too willing to deliver goods to collective farms preferentially, in return for a little extra payment. Despite his savings in West German banks, he is convicted for these misdeeds but swiftly rises to prominence once again when he applies his manipulative genius to making the East German economic system work effectively.