Im Bann der Jahreszeiten

The year is slowly coming to an end. In mid-December, mid-Europe looks like it's covered in icing. The sun only shines for a few hours a day. All living things retreat into the protection and security of their dwellings. Long, icy nights force us to rest. Nature provides for deceleration, and people face a time of contemplation. Winter becomes a haven of peace and a source of new life energy. Alpine dairymaids Geli and Fanny Rainer are winterizing the Mitterkaseralm in the Tyrolean Alps and getting in the mood for the coming Christmas, which they will spend in the valley, with house music. The observatory on the Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenees, on the other hand, is very busy. There, chief astronomer Rémi Cabanac has to brace himself against a snowstorm in anticipation of the winter solstice. Will he still be able to catch a glimpse of the impressive starry sky above the Pic du Midi? In the East Frisian town of Ditzum, crab fisherman Claas Bruhns sets off with his cutter on the last trip of the year before the winter break. Meanwhile, his father Jan Bruhns is using the time to mend the fishing nets. At the Popielno Research Stud in Masuria, Poland, horse whisperer Marlena Boron separates wild Konik foals from their mothers to tame them in the coming months. Meanwhile, mountain guide Olaf Reinstadler explores new routes over the Ortler in South Tyrol.