1987, the co-speaker of Deutsche Bank, Alfred Herrhausen, caused a stir in Washington with his demand for debt relief for Third World countries.The Americans didn’t want to hear it, since that would plunge their over-indebted banks into a deep crisis. The visionary Herrhausen wants to move his bank forward. When the Soviet Union approaches him, he sees a chance to go even further.  In agreement with Chancellor Kohl, he offers the USSR, which is heavily in debt due to the arms race and Chernobyl, a state-backed loan worth billions. For the USA this is a taboo, but for Herrhausen and Kohl it is an opportunity to break through the Iron Curtain. Herrhausen achieves great notoriety and prominence overnight and swings himself into the position of sole spokesman at the bank. With the unwavering goal of leading Deutsche Bank into the global age, Herrhausen increasingly finds himself in the crosshairs of his enemies.