The first episode, originally titled "The Gathering Darkness," introduces the two central families whose fates intertwine throughout the series: the , a secular Jewish family living in Berlin, and the Dorfs , an ambitious German family whose patriarch, Erik Dorf, joins the SS. Key Plot Developments (1935–1940)
: A significant and tragic subplot involves Anna Weiss, Josef’s daughter, who suffers a mental breakdown after witnessing the violence of Kristallnacht. She is eventually taken to the Hadamar killing center and gassed under the Nazi Aktion T4 program , which targeted the disabled and mentally ill. Historical Significance [S1E1] Part 1: 1935-1940
The request "[S1E1] Part 1: 1935-1940" refers to the opening episode of the landmark 1978 television miniseries . Episode Overview: Part 1 (1935–1940) The first episode
is arrested and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp . originally titled "The Gathering Darkness