Documentary about several inhabitants of Dessau, a city in the former GDR located on the slowly flowing Elbe River. Stories of a River shows what happens to four residents of Dessau after the reunification of Germany. How do they come to terms with their past? How do they seize the new opportunities created by the political upheaval? The central figure in the documentary is 83-year-old Mr. Weise. German history and the history of Dessau are closely intertwined with his own life. He worked at the Bauhaus, which under the direction of the renowned architect Gropius experienced a period of great flourishing until it was forced to close by the Nazis. Later, during the Second World War, he worked in a factory that produced Zyklon B for the extermination of people. Mr. Weise reflects on the past and repeatedly cycles to the Elbe, a metaphor for the inevitable course of history that carries people along.