Spur der Steine (1966)

At the large construction site in Schkona, in the German Democratic Republic, carpenter and crew leader Hannes Balla works. Balla and his men do not pay much attention to the bureaucratic rules of the planned economy, yet they are among the site’s most productive workers. When necessary, they even use violence to obtain missing materials for the construction site. Because of their work performance, however, the site management is very tolerant of them. One day, Werner Horrath, a SED party secretary deeply committed to socialist ideals, arrives at the site. At first, he feels that Balla’s presence undermines his authority, but later he succeeds in winning Balla over to his ideas of greater productivity and better working conditions. The two men develop a relationship of mutual respect, while also competing for the attention of the beautiful engineer Kati Klee, who has also recently joined the site in a technical role. Both men fall in love with Kati, but in the end Horrath wins her heart. They begin a secret relationship, since Horrath is already married and does not want to jeopardize his position in the party, nor can he leave his family. Kati becomes pregnant, but out of loyalty to the party she refuses to reveal the father’s name, thus protecting Horrath. Meanwhile, Horrath is thrown into a crisis, crushed by the weight of choosing between his duty and his love for Kati. Only when Kati decides to leave him does he officially declare his love for her, thereby losing all his positions in the party. His wife also asks him for a separation, so in the end Horrath has no choice but to continue working as a carpenter under Balla’s crew. Balla is the last person to defend him during the disciplinary proceedings that decree his expulsion from the party.