Shirli Volk

11-year-old Nina and her mother Birgit move to the countryside. But while Birgit seems to cope very well with the upheaval, the shy young girl only feels accepted when she joins a girl guide group. Nina's new teacher for Religious Education, the organizer of the group, and the parson belong to the fanatically pious "Legion Of The Holy Angels", a sect preparing its members for the final battle between demons and angels. As Birgi's behaviour doesn't conform to her daughter's ideas, Nina sacrifices a black kitten which allegedly has a bad influence on Birgit. But this only makes things worse, for Birgit eventually forbids her daughter to go to the scouts' sessions and thereby loses her trust. Nina's friend Miriam is having a hard time being accepted by the scouts and leaves them when she isn't allowed to participate in an important ceremony. Nina is faced with a difficult decision...

Marienhof is a German soap opera, first shown on October 1, 1992 on German TV channel, Das Erste. It started as a weekly series, before becoming a daily program on January 2, 1995. The show was canceled in February 2011 and aired its last episode on June 15, 2011. In the 90s, the Marienhof became a huge success in Finland and remained a fan favorite until it was canceled to license problems. Over the years, the show became known for tackling several social issues, such as homosexuality, homelessness, private bankruptcy, rape, drug abuse, AIDS, child abuse, suicide, cancer, adultery and murder. The show focuses on the everyday life of the residents of the Marienhof, a fictional suburb in Cologne.