They like to collect beetles. For Konrad Lohse, digging into sludge, splitting barks to finally find and impale his prey is a real delight. Passionate bug-hunters are more of an endangered species today than the small insects they hunt. As we follow two "beetle friends" in their anonymous glory, rambling through the Bavarian mountains, we sense that there is dignity behind this comical and childish scientific curiosity. Why has nature lost its role as a source of fascination for the everyman?

Once a commendable pastime of the bourgeoisie, collecting beetles is now considered an eccentric and anachronistic activity. But for real entomologists, it is still about the personal joy of discovering the diversity of species. Der Käferfreund is a filmic transfiguration, underlaid with excerpts from the German poet and soldier Ernst Jünger's essay "Subtile Jagden" (Subtle Hunts, 1967): "Danger lies in the person not in the matter and therefore any inclination can become an addiction."

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, Europe heaved a deep sigh of relief. Finally the clear and present danger of a nuclear conflict that the Cold War had presented seemed banished. After forty years of permanent fear, military strategies and doctrines were revised and old bunkers taken down. The structures of menace appeared to be crumbling and a state of enduring peace seemed more possible than ever. Nevertheless the Federal Republic of Germany continues to uphold facilities for the protection of its citizens against a nuclear catastrophe. All across the country, bags of food and diapers, blankets and even strategic oil reserves are being stored.

The film takes us on a trip through these underground institutions of protection. Can we ever put our fear behind us?