When U.S. and Soviet troops met on the banks of the Elbe River in 1945, they took their meeting to signify the end of Hitler's Germany, fascism and war. The soldiers promised each other to do everything they could to prevent another war. Private Joe Polowsky, later a cab driver in Chicago, took that promise so seriously that he dedicated the rest of his life - and even his death - to promoting understanding between Soviets and Americans, and to the friendship of the Elbe veterans.

"An extraordinary document."—Hollywood Reporter

"It's appropriate that a German filmmaker should make this film, and Pfeiffer aptly finds the haunting resonance to convey this forgotten, committed man who took on the prevailing sentiments of the Cold War era and succeeded in touching the hearts of many in both his life and death."—Los Angeles Times

"A lovely, touching little tribute to a passionate 'common' man with a noble vision."—Library Journal