It is August 1, 1914. There is excitement in Master Wiederkehr's hairdressing salon. The local council, the notary, the butcher and other customers discuss the shocking news that Wiederkehr's daughter Rosa has just brought to the house: there is a war. Germany, Belgium and Russia have declared mobilization. The French troops are at the border. The young hairdresser Wipf then experiences his first crucial life experiences during the horrors of war.