The movie's plot is based on the true story of a group of young computer hackers from Hannover, Germany. In the late 1980s the orphaned Karl Koch invests his heritage in a flat and a home computer. At first he dials up to bulletin boards to discuss conspiracy theories inspired by his favorite novel, R.A. Wilson's "Illuminatus", but soon he and his friend David start breaking into government and military computers. Pepe, one of Karl's rather criminal acquaintances senses that there is money in computer cracking - he travels to east Berlin and tries to contact the KGB. 叙时描写。 该片改编自80年代德国一个真实的社会事件，主人公19岁的卡尔是个左翼份子，当权者都视他们这一群老是在街头抗争的孩子是恐怖的无政府主义者。他深受Anton Ailson的著作《Illuminators!》的影响，深信世界被一个地下庞大的秘密组织所掌握，而这个组织的中心，正是一部超级计算机。卡尔对此惊骇且着迷不已，在好奇或与头脑不相称的单纯动机下，卡尔成了苏联KGB窃取情报的骇客，有了钱只是为了买更好的计算机及永远喂不饱的毒品。就在切尔诺贝利核电厂爆炸时，卡尔也开始被警方监视。当犯罪、KGB、同伴、经济、良心谴责、毒品等各方的压力随之而来时，这个自命不凡，以为掌握科技就掌握一切的骇客，开始显露出孩子般的慌乱及对他之前所鄙弃的人类情感的深深依赖。最后他崩溃了，在疗养院里一无所有、回归最原始的生活方式，然而这却是他最快乐的时光。
