Maria comes from abroad to visit an English family. On the way to the Cinema Club she gets lost and misses the film. Next day the children find the cinema unlocked. They take her over it and try out the apparatus. Then they surprise a thief and give chase, finally trapping him with the spotlight so that the police can catch him.
Munich cab driver Herbert Sponer picks up American businessman Jack Mortimer at the train station. Suddenly Mortimer is shot while driving and Sponer has to try to avoid being suspected as the perpetrator.
After years of drifting around, Willi Palko arrives in the lignite mining area. He was not only looking for a new job, but also wanted to finally settle down here.
This fly on the wall-style documentary from 1961 won an Oscar for best documentary, and shows the changing patterns of human emotions during 24 hours in the life of Waterloo Station.