Autumn 1977 in Germany.. In the first part of the movie ("Volksgefängnis") the businessman Hanns-Martin Schleyer is kidnapped by terrorists from the RAF (Rote Armee Fraktion - Red Army Fraction). They demand the release of their former leaders Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe, who are arrested in the prison of Stammheim. When the German government delays this release, Arabic terrorists (friends of the RAF) hijack a plane with German tourists aboard (second part:"Entführt die Landshut"). Showdown takes place on Mogadishu airport... The plot follows the real-life events mixed with documentary sequences.