In a little Sorbian village in East Germany, old farmer Krestan owns a little land and few animals, which he intends to bequeath to his daughter Lena.

When the government announces a plan to collectivize all the farms, Krestan is reluctant to hand over his property, and his neighbors share his sentiments.

52 Weeks Make One Year was the first East German film about the collectivization of agriculture in the country.

"[2] Sylvia Klötzer wrote that the film was made in Socialist Realist style.

[3] Johannes von Moltke noted that while "suffused with images of rural bliss... rhythms of nature and local tradition" typical to the genre of Homeland films, 52 Weeks "is not entirely irreconcilable with the belief in progress" and is an example of the East German agrarian pictures that focused on the benefits of the collectivization.