Die Birken tells the story of an apartment building of that name (The Birches) and the East Berliners living there between the 1930s and 1960s, some of whom survived World War II only to fall subject to the Russians and another ideology—communism. Their new challenge is to maintain their well-being, their personal integrity, their sense of humor, and their humanity, all while avoiding the pitfalls of a divided city and Stasi surveillance. In the aftermath of war, new relationships are created, families are reconfigured, and what were formerly ordinary trees, like birches, become cherished.