The film is about an East German farmer in the 1950's – before the Berlin wall – who refuses to be part of the collectivization of the socialist regime. He plans his escape to the West and sends his wife and child to West Berlin ahead of himself, hoping to join them there soon. However, some party officials get wind of his plan and try to thwart it.

Journalist and ghostwriter Will Tremper brought a fresh spirit to West German cinema of the 1960's. His feature film ESCAPE TO BERLIN, set in divided Germany, tells of an escape to the West in a style reminiscent of the Italian neorealism.