 The movie s plot is based on the true story of a group of young computer hackers from Hannover, Germany. In the late 1980s the orphaned Karl Koch invests his heritage in a flat and a home computer. At first he dials up to bulletin boards to discuss conspiracy theories inspired by his favorite novel, R.A. Wilson s "Illuminatus", but soon he and his friend David start breaking into government and military computers. Pepe, one of Karl s rather criminal acquaintances senses that there is money in computer cracking - he travels to east Berlin and tries to contact the KGB.