Summary

The first episode is narrated by a collective We, the townspeople who live in a remote farming village somewhere in central Germany. It is early spring. The villagers daily thank God that the war has yet to reach their town. They have been spared the devastation, the pillaging, the misery. One day a wagon rolls unannounced into town. A troupe of three traveling entertainers quickly set up a sort of stage. One of the entertainers the townspeople immediately recognize: Tyll Ulenspiegel, renowned for his juggling and his daring acrobatics on a tightrope. Eagerly the town gathers in the square for the show. The show starts off with a short play, a tragedy about two young lovers who, denied the chance to be together, both end up dead. But the gravity of the tragedy is quickly shattered when the entertainers break into a dance set...