Paul von Hindenburg was a key figure of the 20th century. The Prussian-German Field Marshall had made decisions of war and peace, driven Kaiser Wilhelm II into exile in the Netherlands. And on January 30th 1933, he was the one who appointed Adolf Hitler as German ‘Reichskanzler’. Said to be a hero of World War One, Hindenburg’s popularity in Germany between 1914 and 1934 was without precedent. His portrait adorned cups, plates and nearly every German living-room; even an airship was named after him. In contrast to his international reputation: His name was second on France’s list of the most wanted war criminals, right after the Kaiser. Still, he was never convicted. Parallel to Paul von Hindenburg’s political biography, the film follows Adolf Hitler’s career from Hindenburg’s viewpoint. In the 1932 presidential elections, Hindenburg beat his rival candidate Hitler. Why, as President of the Weimar Republic, he then became instrumental in the political ascent of the Nazi leader only a year later, is examined in this film.