While Hans Jürgen Höss enjoyed a happy childhood playing with many toys in the family villa at Auschwitz, Jewish cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was playing for her life to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment, eight decades later, when the two come face-to-face – the son of a major war criminal meeting a survivor in the intimate setting of Anita’s London living room. Together with their children, Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, the four protagonists explore their very different hereditary burdens.

The film features original excerpts of Rudolf Höss’ long-forgotten autobiography, written shortly before his execution, while exploring the relationships of a mother and her daughter, a father and his son, and the long shadows cast by the crimes that impact generations. It raises questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness, but is ultimately a story of hope, acceptance, and compassion.