Das Haus der Träume - Episode Guide

July 1928: Vicky, who comes from abject poverty, leaves her homeland and goes to Berlin in the hope of a better life. She wants to stay with her friend Doris. But when she arrives in Berlin, Vicky finds out that the elegant address on Doris's letters is wrong. Vicky goes on a search. The trail leads to the Scheunenviertel, a slum area. There Vicky meets the dancer Elsie and the bar pianist Harry. The three witness Doris being pulled dead from the river. The homeless Vicky asks Elsie, who shares a tiny room with two girls, to take her in. Full of hope, Vicky and Elsie apply to be saleswomen at the Jonass department store, which is about to open. When both are taken, the big dream of a life without poverty seems to come true. Unaware that department store owner Arthur Grünberg is in fact on the verge of bankruptcy and that the opening of Jonass is in jeopardy.

While Arthur Grünberg is desperately trying to raise money to complete his department store, Vicky and Elsie imagine themselves as future saleswomen and diligently put goods on the half-finished shelves - for almost no pay! Her friends routinely keep their heads above water thanks to rich cavaliers, but Vicky is reluctant to do so. She is in love with Harry and also sleeps with him without anything in return. She dreams of a self-determined life as a working woman who doesn't need cavaliers to survive. Until she finds out that Jonass may never open. What Vicky doesn't know: Harry is actually not a penniless musician, but the son of the department store owner.

Jonass opens it! To do this, however, Arthur had to make a pact with the nouveau riche Carl Goldmann, who is trying to set his daughter Helene up with Harry. Vicky has no idea of all this and is happy to finally be a saleswoman when she realizes that she is pregnant. from the dream. The Jonass does not employ mothers. Elsie gives Vicky the address of Irmchen Taube, her trusted angel maker. Vicky is just climbing onto Irmchen's kitchen table when Harry appears. Vicky and Harry decide to keep the child. However, Vicky doesn't yet know who Harry really is. When he says it, everything changes. Vicky knows her love is impossible. Again Vicky goes to Irmchen Taube.

Vicky breaks up with Harry, claiming that she aborted the child. In fact, she couldn't bring herself to do it. At Jonass she hides her pregnancy and tries to shine, hoping that the best saleswoman won't be kicked out. In fact, Vicky manages to make the sleepy shoe department the talk of the town. But that won't keep you from being fired. Meanwhile, Harry has broken with his parents and is doing what he's only been able to do in secret: jazz. It doesn't make him rich, but happy. There are first successes, a tour is planned. There Vicky stands in front of his door. Harry learns that she kept the child.

Vicky has been laid off at Jonass and is looking for work – like millions of others. There are none, especially not for pregnant women, the global economic crisis is casting its shadow. Harry sticks to his tour plans, he can't forgive Vicky for lying, he has new dreams. But when Vicky almost suffers a miscarriage, he changes his mind. Harry and Vicky find each other again. A new calamity is already brewing. The economy is reeling and Jonass with it. Once again, Carl Goldmann is the only one who wants to give Arthur Grünberg a loan. And this time he doesn't just associate it with a hope, he makes it a condition: Harry should marry his daughter Helene.

Harry doesn't think about marrying Helene. And Helene doesn't like Harry either. In fact, she's not into men at all. She is studying medicine and has just received a scholarship in America. Vicky, Harry and Helene agree: they don't go along with their parents' plans. Until Harry's beloved mother Alice, long sober, falls back on alcohol out of desperation at the impending ruin. And Carl Goldmann only wants Helene to continue studying if she becomes Frau Grünberg. Harry resists, but Vicky feels that the price of their love is too high. She advises Harry to marry Helene.

The department store Jonass has changed from a credit to a luxury department store - and Vicky is promoted to department manager. A lot has happened in her private life too: She is the mother of three-year-old Hanni and has a new partner at her side in Wilhelm, who is now even proposing to her. Harry and Helene are returning from the States where they have been for the past three years. Helene has accepted a position at the Charité and Harry has decided to get a record deal. But back home, Harry longs for Vicky. In recent years she has never answered his letters. Still, his feelings for her haven't changed...

Vicky has accepted Wilhelm's marriage proposal. Harry asks Vicky to contact their daughter Hanni, but Vicky refuses. Meanwhile, Arthur is working on building another department store.

Harry tries out hits to finally gain a foothold as a musician. Gerd is accepted into the SA. The new Jonass opens successfully. But there is a crisis between Alice and Arthur because Arthur wants to make Ilsa managing director.

At Helene's funeral, Harry is confronted by her father with accusations that he is to blame for her death. This is too much for Harry. He entrenches himself and no longer sees any point in anything. Vicky has an idea how to build Harry up.

Arthur should fire his Jewish saleswomen. After initial resistance, he suspects that he has no chance against the new rulers and hires Gerd as the new, non-Jewish managing director. He gets used to the new position – and the new rules – quicker than expected. The Jonass is struggling with vandalism and customers are staying away. Goldmann is also threatened and decides to leave Germany. But not without making Alice a promising offer. The situation in Berlin is also becoming too dangerous for Elsie's friend, the British correspondent Bill. He has to return to England and asks Elsie to accompany him. Even though Harry's music career is taking off, he realizes that he, too, has things to worry about. And that also applies to his relationship with his daughter Hanni.

After Harry's records are removed from the shops, he plays in Elsie's bar. When the bar is stormed by Nazis, Elsie takes on them and is kidnapped. Arthur and Alice have to give the Jonass into the hands of the SA people. When he says goodbye, Arthur addresses his employees with moving words: He was unable to keep his promise to give them a home with Jonass. The Grünbergs decide to go to New York to build a new life for themselves. After Alice says goodbye to Goldmann, he changes his plans and makes a drastic decision. Harry wants to join his parents, but a future without Vicky is unimaginable for him. But Vicky can't leave Berlin until she knows what happened to her friend Elsie.