The 1st of September 1939 marks the beginning of the Second World War as Nazi Germany invades Poland. Within a few years, Auschwitz-Birkenau becomes the largest killing center of the Holocaust, where around one million people lose their lives.

Among the SS personnel is doctor Horst Fischer, a man who takes part in selections that decide who will live and who will be sent to their deaths. Serving at Auschwitz and later at Monowitz, he becomes directly responsible for the fate of tens of thousands of prisoners.

After the war, Fischer hides his past and lives quietly in East Germany for years—until an unexpected investigation reveals his role in one of history’s darkest crimes.