3/4/7

Schnabel raises the matter of the tough existence and inhumane housing- conditions of miners in post-war Germany by telling the, in a sense exemplary, story of a young man who came to the western zone as a refugee from Konigsberg after the war.
Initially, he tries to survive by trading on the black market. When that fails he decides to offer himself as a new worker at one of the mines. As a young novice he ends up in a mining camp in the Ruhr area where at first he, like all other strangers, is treated with great distrust by his colleagues. This aloofness gradually diminishes when he, together with a few comrades, sets up a commission representing miners' rights and taking care of improved housing and living conditions. New accommodation is built where the miners can finally enjoy a little privacy. Leisure time becomes an appreciated part of the working week more than ever before. This mining camp was one of the first in the Ruhr area where these improvements took place, which makes this documentary a plea for following these initiatives.