[2] It is based on the 2008 novel Fog in August by Robert Domes,[3] and is inspired by the documented true story of the 14 year old Yenish boy Ernst Lossa (1929–1944).

[5] In Nazi Germany in 1944, a Yenish boy named Ernst Lossa is transferred to a mental institution, where he labors under the watch of Dr. Veithausen.

The doctor, following the logic of racial hygiene, devises a plan to starve patients slowly by feeding them boiled vegetable soup with all nutrients removed, which satisfies his Nazi superiors.

Not long after, Ernst plans his escape during an air raid, but he fails when a bomb drops nearby and the falling debris injures Nandl and kills Sister Sophia.

Dr. Veithausen calls for Ernst's death, which is carried out by either Paul Hechtle or Sister Kiefer (both deny being the killer).