East Berlin, 1989. In a basement, Die Seuche (The Plague), a band with big plans, is rehearsing. Their only fan is also their manager. Äppstiehn does what he can—and that isn't much. Die Seuche plays at family gatherings and birthday parties and gets involved in car thefts on the outskirts of the Prague embassy. But even Äppstiehn is powerless against the fall of the Berlin Wall. Suddenly, music no longer matters. But is that even possible? biography Thomas Brussig, born in Berlin in 1965, grew up in the eastern part of the city and, after graduating from high school, worked as a furniture mover, museum attendant, and hotel porter, among other jobs. He studied sociology and dramaturgy and debuted in 1991 with a novel under a pseudonym. In 1996, his novel "Heroes Like Us," which has been translated into numerous languages and was also successfully adapted for the stage, was published. In 1999, he received the German Federal Government's Screenplay Prize, together with Leander Haußmann. New product