Lebenslinien, Augustine – Das Herz in der Hand

The five "lifelines" represent an unrivalled epic of Austrian TV history. It tells the story of four women over four generations, from the imperial era to 1968. Käthe Kratz ascribes essential importance to the search for historical identity for the women's movement: "Our history is the ground on which we stand, move and act. And as long as this ground does not appear to exist, we cannot find our own social position." This historical awareness forms an essential component, a ground for resistance and emancipation, which the "lifelines" offer.

The first part, "Augustine - The Heart in Her Hand", tells the story of a young woman who migrates from the countryside to the capital around 1900 in order to find a job. She is lucky and is quickly able to start work as a maid in a noble Viennese house. However, she is impregnated by the landlord's nephew and has to bear the consequences herself.

Kratz also sheds light on the rise of the social democratic movement and the maid protests, thus embedding the personal story in the larger political upheaval.